The Understanding
by MaraJule
Summary: When Sarah spills the secret of the Labyrinth to a neighbour, Jareth sends his goblins to ensure children are wished away. But the children are not the prize the Goblin King desires; he wants to undo the words of Sarah's triumph and claim her under his power again. Can Sarah rescue the wished away children without surrendering to Jareth's will?
1. An Ally

**The usual disclaimer... I don't own the characters, places, or words. I just arranged them. **

* * *

A goblin must always make noise, or so the little creatures believe. From an early age goblin children are taught that, like a whale surfacing for air, the goblin voice must surface at least once every five minutes or their lungs will be poisoned with harmful unused sounds. Normally the Goblin King found it amusing that his minions had believed the outrageous "fact." But for a king in thought, the cacophonic spurt of words was grating; he almost wished he had not told them the lie.

He would have corrected them, except that too many things had already been undone. The majestic, powerful, and dashing Goblin King had been bested by a mewling little girl. She had stormed into his castle, rejected his offers of bliss, and retrieved the babe he had rightfully stolen. The nerve! If only he could get his hands on her... But he could not interfere with the overworld unless he was invited by one of the humans. And aside from Sarah, who had found one of the final copies of the Labyrinth fairy tale, no one even knew the legend anymore. How the Goblin King longed for the days past wherein legends and myth had become a part of history. In those days, he had prospered. Parents wished away their troublesome and unwanted children a dozen at a time.

The worst aspect of the entire scenario was that Jareth had truly thought the girl would have been the one to reignite the kingdom. From the moment her delicate fingers had caressed the spine of the _Labyrinth_ book, the Goblin King had been aroused from the aching slumber of decades - miserable decades where not a single infant had been offered. He had conjured a seeing crystal as she plucked the book from the shelf. Her lips had puckered as if to kiss but instead blew the dust from the rouge cover and Jareth had shivered as though her breath had been on the back of his neck.

Sarah had scrambled to the park to read her new treasure and the goblin king had followed, in his owl form, of course. Not willing to miss the momentous occasion of Sarah's first reading, he left his castle in the Underground to perch within sight of the precious girl. Soaring high above her he could not help but screech in victory at the satisfied smirk the girl wore as she tore through the pages. She did not even hear his cry, so engrossed in the volume was she.

He had invested time and energy into helping her mature to the point where she could understand the glory that awaited her. All she needed to do was love him, fear him, and he would have made her his queen, in a manner of speaking. But she had been stubborn and refused to see all that he had to offer.

"You look troubled Goblin King." A mellifluous voice echoed around him.

There were few who could enter his presence without his foreknowledge, but this vixen was unfortunately one of them. Nerissa was a comely maiden with soft eyes and flaxen hair that would have been the envy of the human realm. But Jareth saw her for what she was, a viper seeking its prey, not the cherubic pixie she appeared. Nerissa was the faerie queen, the leader of the wretchedly cruel raise of diminutive sprites. Though the average faeries were only a few inches tall, Nerissa could appear as a grown woman and she did so now as she approached the goblin king.

Had she expected a measure of decorum, she would have been disappointed for the goblin king hardly deemed her worthy of sitting up in a polite manner and so he remained lounging, as he always did, with one leg thrown over the armrest and his back pressed against the other. "You were given no invitation to enter my palace." He sneered at the faerie woman.

"You have no power over me." Nerissa chided. Her traitorous words caused goblins to flee or fall silent as they awaited the response of their king. The king's malicious glare was precisely what the goblins had feared and Nerissa had hoped for. "Oh yes I have heard of your defeat, Goblin King." She chuckled. How could she have failed to notice? A human had not been in the labyrinth for decades. The Underground was simply abuzz with information about the girl; she had become something of a celebrity since her departure. How many of the stories could be trusted, Nerissa could hardly fathom. Some goblins claimed the girl was twenty feet tall and wielded a sword that could crush a dozen goblins at a time. Others said she had the ability to fly and that she used magic to steal the child back. Whatever the case may have been, Nerissa knew one thing: the baby was gone meaning the girl had won.

"I do not know what you are talking about." Jareth denied.

"Poor, poor Jareth," Nerissa sighed as she reached a hand to his face and stroked it. He snatched her hand and thrust it away but her voice did not even catch as she continued her mockery. "You finally had a child in your grasp and you let it slip through your fingers." The comment did not get the particular reaction Nerissa had been hoping for so she pressed further hoping to discern the true point of misery buried within the goblin king. "But the child did not mean that much to you did it? You already have enough goblin men to keep you satisfied. You are disappointed because the girl won. If she had lost, she would have had to explain her brother's disappearance and then your name would have emerged in the overworld again. People would have remembered you and then you would have had dozens of children."

To Nerissa's dismay, Jareth simply smiled at her. "We all want to be remembered."

Nerissa shifted her weight from one foot to another, suddenly uncomfortable. "Nonsense, I am perfectly satisfied with being forgotten." She replied. "I have not had to grant the wish of a single mortal in nearly two centuries. Wish granting is such tedious work. Mortals think I can just make things happen, but, of course, that is false."

"Tsk, tsk, tsk." Jareth clucked his tongue. "You cannot lie to me, faerie queen. You know as well as I do that our present existences are duller than a day in the oubliette. The foolish mortals made for such sport. They never understand what they wish for until they get it and then the horror sets in."

Despite herself, Nerissa's lips twisted in a smile. "The surest way to ruin a mortal's life is to give them what they want."

"Do you still prefer to stay in the underground when there is so much pleasure to be had toying with the mortals." Jareth queried.

Nerissa bit her lip. She had come here to torment the goblin king about his failure but she could tell from the glimmer in his eye that he had a scheme. Truthfully, she had been bored, bored enough to have tea with a worm and his wife the other afternoon. "Fine, I will admit that a trip to the Overworld would be enjoyable, but you know as well as I do that none of them recognize me anymore. If they do not believe I have power, I cannot do anything for them."

"But Sarah will."

"And what exactly am I supposed to do with this Sarah? I cannot have any fun with her unless she makes a wish."

"Sarah will." Jareth added without a hint of doubt.

"You have to give me more assurance then that." Nerissa rolled her eyes. "And why would I want to go to your Sarah? What will you give me in return?"

Jareth sighed as he rose from his throne and turned to the stairs. "I thought you wanted to be remembered. I guess not."

"What are you scheming goblin king?" Nerissa called after him.

Without revealing the knowing smile on his smug face, Jareth ascended the stairs leaving the faerie queen to her thoughts.

* * *

"What does one do after rescuing her baby brother from a goblin king?" Sarah asked herself as she peeled the covers off her bed. "She sleeps." Stretching her sore limbs, Sarah glanced at the clock. "For thirteen hours!" She exclaimed as she did the math. "How fitting," she commented before leaping from her bed. Thankfully, it was Saturday, the one day a week Sarah could sleep until the afternoon. She was a little disappointed in herself though, she had hoped to see Toby before Sarah's stepmother and took him to ther ritual Saturday afternoon shopping spree.

"I grew up so much." Sarah realised as she sat down at her vanity and began to comb her hair. The previous night she had stowed away many of her toys and even the _Labyrinth_ book she had kept on her like a security blanket since her mother had ran away with a theatre co-star. As she looked around at the unusually tidy room, she could not help but congratulate herself for her own maturity.

"That's funny," she said as she put the brush down, "I thought I had stowed the _Labyrinth_ book in my drawer." Despite the vivid memory of tucking the book away, it was resting on her desk as if she had never touched it. "Maybe Hoggle pulled it out."

Hoggle and her friends, as well as some other Underground residents, had somehow found her room and celebrated Toby's return with her. None of them had questioned how they had ended up in Sarah's room; stranger things had happened in the Underground. Nor had any of them noticed the owl perched on the tree overlooking Sarah's window.

Placing the book in the top drawer again, Sarah flashed herself one final smile in the mirror before racing down the stairs to make a very late breakfast.

* * *

The goblin found the king perched in a windowsill overlooking the goblin city. "Your highness?" the goblin approached hesitantly. By Jareth's own rule, the goblins were allowed to approach their king whenever they wanted... if they could find him. But the king was not known for the constancy of his temper.

"Yes?" Jareth responded.

"Will the girl-who-ate-the-peach-and-forgot-everything-and-then-remembered-everything really make a wish again?"

"Of course not!" Jareth guffawed.

"Oh," the goblin bowed and then, in order to make himself appear more intelligent, he added. "I understand." He did not.

* * *

Sarah's nose was deep in the refrigerator when the faerie entered the kitchen. It had been centuries since a faerie had visited the Overworld and the dwellings of the mortals had changed significantly since she had last been in one. The buzzing of electrical devices, the roaring of engines, and the scent of freshly washed humans was unnerving to the diminutive sprite.

Not quite certain of how to make herself known to the girl, the faerie hid behind a dish until she could better discern an approach.

Sarah groaned when she could find nothing appetizing in either the fridge or the pantry and settled for a piece of toast and an apple. With the fruit in one hand and a slice of buttered toast in the other, Sarah retreated to her room.

The faerie followed the girl to her chambers where she found a perch on the mirrored vanity.

Sarah leapt onto her bed placing the apple on the blanket before devouring her toast. After licking the remaining butter from her fingers, Sarah grabbed the apple. Rather than eating it though, she looked at it curiously.

"I am not taking the chance." She told the fruit as she moved to put it on her vanity.

Unbeknownst to Sarah, her visitor anxiously waited for the impending confrontations. To the faerie, this would be a glorious moment for it dawned the reawakening of the magical world.

The fluttering wings were the first sign of the intruder and Sarah caught a glimpse of them out of the corner of her eye. "Ack!" she screeched as she grasped the _Labyrinth_ book and slammed its hard cover down on the faerie. When she lifted the book again, all that remained of the faerie was a gooey mess on Sarah's vanity top. "Gross." Sarah commented as she wiped the smudge with a tissue.

Only after the mess was disposed of did Sarah realise the book had not been in her drawer where she had left it.

* * *

"Jareth!" Nerissa squealed as she darted into his throne room. She transformed to her more imposing human-sized form so she could tower over the goblin king who was lounging on his throne. "You said she would make a wish! Instead she destroyed Aeria."

"I know; I watched the whole thing." Jareth lifted his seeing crystal so she could perceive it. With a twist of his wrist, it disappeared – just like Aeria. "I thought you would go personally though."

"You will regret this treachery." Nerissa fumed. "You have made an enemy today."

"Nonsense," Jareth dismissed her. "I have made an ally. Now we both have reason to go after the girl."

"If you think I am going to help you now, then you are sadly mistaken."

The goblin king decided he did not like her tone. Rising to his full height, he was at least a head taller than she was; he reminded her who the more imposing figure was.

Normally Nerissa would have reverted to a more flirtatious approach to diffuse this situation, but it would never work on Jareth. She tried her best to keep her knees from trembling as his temper sunk to dangerous levels. Nerissa had provoked Jareth enough to know when to run, and she felt it was nearly that time.

"You will do exactly as I tell you." Jareth replied.

Nerissa gritted her teeth, unsure of how to respond without injuring her pride. "What do you want me to do?"

The fearsomeness of his demeanor fled as he sprang away from her and hoisted a nearby goblin into the air. Not bothering to catch the thing, Jareth responded, "Do exactly as you always do; just grant a wish."


	2. The Book

**The usual disclaimer... I don't own the characters, places, or words. I just arranged them. **

* * *

Sarah stared at the _Labyrinth _book for a long time expecting it to sprout legs and walk over to her. "What do you want?" She asked it though even Sarah doubted the book could talk. She had heard walls give warnings, hands harangue, and even had an invertebrate invite her to tea, but never had she considered that a book could blather on.

When many minutes had passed, Sarah shoved the book under her bed and left her room. She waited outside the door listening for any noise. She heard nothing but when she entered her chamber, the book was back on the vanity.

Not wanting to use the goblin king's name unwittingly either to challenge him or to curse him, Sarah remained uncharacteristically silent. Again, she deposited the book in a hidden crevice and disappeared behind the barricade of her door. She waited half a minute and then opened the door. The red covered book was laying on her floor, halfway to the vanity. "Ah-ha!" She exclaimed. "I knew something was happening."

Though she did not say anything, she was relieved that it was not magic making the book move. Something was carrying it and she was going to find out who or what it was.

* * *

Ant allowed a few words to slip from his mouth. He had been storing them so the girl-who-ran-the-labyrinth would not hear him, but he feared he might be poisoned from not speaking.

Ant knew his name was a misnomer, which would have meant something to him had he known what a misnomer was, but Ant was a goblin and words with more than one syllable were usually beyond his understanding. He had been given the name because, though he was only two inches tall, Ant had been raised on a healthy diet of raw eggs, chicken, and weight lifting. Thanks to his rigorous training, a very uncommon trait among the goblin-kind, Ant could lift several times his body weight. Or so he boasted.

The king himself had selected Ant for this very important mission, and so Ant had snuck into the girl-who-danced-with-the-king's room and nested in her sock drawer. Ant's job was to ensure that the girl-who-befriended-the-monster never forgot about the Labyrinth.

As soon as Sarah left the room, he found the book and put it back on her vanity. Like all other goblins, he was skilled in the art of hiding and fleeing, so when Sarah came back into the room before he could replace the book he managed to escape detection.

Ant watched as Sarah scoured her room for him, knowing that she had finally caught on. She tore apart her room, opening drawers and removing their contents. All her ornamentation was taken down and searched for hiding places. Ant had to keep moving to avoid detection, but he managed to stay ahead of Sarah.

Breathing a sigh of relief, Ant watched as Sarah left in a huff. She had not found him and she was evidently frustrated. He waited several moments before releasing a few more poisonous words. When she did not return, Ant slowly crept towards the book.

Throughout the house, clocks chimed the change of the hour, limiting Ant's hearing. Sarah burst through the door during the noise and pounced on the book. Ant was too quick for her though. He fled with all speed for the window, knowing that the only way to escape Sarah would be to leave the room. Alas, she had locked it! Ant had no escape.

"I am not going to hurt you." Sarah told the goblin as she crept forward. "I just want to talk to you."

Ant did not believe the trickster. Jareth had warned him about her, about how she had persuaded the dwarf-who-worked-for-the-king to rebel. The goblin nodded as though he would answer her questions and then at just the right moment he jumped from the windowsill and dashed through her legs to the crevice under the door.

Sarah stormed after him shouting, "Stop! I just want to talk."

Ripping open the door, Sarah saw the tiny goblin leaping down the stairs one at a time. They reached the bottom at the same time but she could not catch him in her hands. He was too fast. She followed him out the back door and although the little goblin was difficult to see in the grass of the backyard, she managed to keep her eyes on his scampering form. To her dismay, he squeezed between planks in the neighbour's fence. Without sparing any concern for the consequences of her actions, Sarah hoisted herself over the barricade and followed the creature.

"What do you think you are doing?" The neighbour boy called out from his position lounging on a hammock.

Sarah ignored him as she stalked the goblin. Ant decided to use the grumpy neighbour to his advantage. He redirected himself towards the human, charging under the boy's hammock.

Now Sarah was in trouble. She could not crawl under or over the hammock, which was strung quite low between two large trees. "Catch it!" She called to the boy for help as the goblin slipped from her view. She ran around the tree but it was too late, Ant was gone. "Damn it!" She stomped her foot in frustration.

"Hey! You swore. And you trespassed." The neighbour boy sneered. "I'm telling my mom right now and she is going to tell your mom."

Sarah faced the boy. He was a few years younger than she was and she had never bothered to learn his name for he had always been rude to her. At first, she had thought they would be friends because the boy loved reading too, but he sneered at her adoration of fiction.

"So what?" Sarah shrugged.

"You are going to get in trouble." The boy snapped.

"No I am not." Sarah replied. "Now stop being a child and tell me if you saw where the thing I was chasing went."

"I would not tell you even if I knew."

"Fine!" Sarah stomped away.

She almost uttered it. Almost. The goblin king had taken her brother and she had regretted the decision, but would she care about this boy? Either way she had no desire to see the goblin king again. Best to leave it unsaid.

"Hey, where are you going?" The boy demanded as Sarah made her way back to her property.

"What does it look like?" She snapped back.

The boy leapt from his hammock and chased after her. He stood in her path as though his pre-pubescent form could stop her. "You will leave when I say you can leave."

Sarah's eyes narrowed dangerously. She knew how to deal with cruel guys like him... But this was the real world and she had decided she was going to try to act mature. "What do you want?" She sighed.

"What was that thing?"

"You would not believe me if I told you."

"I want to know."

"Will you let me pass if I tell you?"

"Maybe."

It was good enough of a promise for Sarah. "That was a goblin." She replied with a triumphant smile.

"Goblins don't exist. Tell me the truth. Was that some kind of squirrel?"

"It was a goblin."

"No it wasn't!" The boy insisted.

"Let me pass."

"Tell me the truth, right now!"

"I told you the truth. There is a whole underground world where goblins and faeries live. They use magic and grant the wishes of children. The goblin king steals bratty kids whose families don't want them anymore, so you better watch out. He takes them back to his labyrinth and they become goblins too and they have to whatever he wants or he will throw them in the bog of eternal stench. It may not sound that bad, but if you ever smelled the bog you would understand. The worst part is that the smell never leaves you if even a drop touches you." Sarah's enthusiasm for storytelling made her words more theatrical than she had intended. Obviously, the boy did not believe her.

She was saved however, by a nagging voice that came from within the house. "_Winston_! Come inside before you burn your delicate skin."

Sarah turned to regard Winston's mother. She was a slovenly woman with unkempt hair and a waistline too thick for her pants. The woman did not even consider Sarah, though the girl had never been in the yard before.

"But mother-" Winston began to whine but his mother cut him off.

"Get inside the house right now." She demanded.

A little head poked out from behind Winston's mother as a curious toddler witnessed the exchange. "Winnie!' The little girl clapped her hands in excitement to see her big brother.

"Don't call me that." He scowled. "It's Winston. Say Winston."

"Winnie" she replied.

"Why are you so stupid?" He sneered.

The girl's eyes brimmed with tears and Sarah could not help but pity the girl for having to deal with such a bratty older brother. "Sowy" she sniffled.

"Get inside right now, Keira." Her mother demanded. "And you too Winston. If I have to say it one more time I am taking your books away."

Winston spun towards Sarah and put a finger in her face. "This isn't over." He threatened.

Sarah shook her head in amazement as both the neighbour kids retreated to their home. Then she remembered the goblin and the whole event was forgotten.

Sarah raced back to her room expecting to find the _Labyrinth_ book returned to her desk, but it was gone. It was not on the floor or in her drawers or under the bed. "Where did it go?"


	3. A Child

**The usual disclaimer... I don't own the characters, places, or words. I just arranged them. **

* * *

"I did it." Ant proclaimed.

"Did what?" Another goblin asked.

"What the goblin king told me to do." Ant puffed his chest as he spoke.

"What did he say?" A third goblin asked.

"Move the book."

"What book?"

"_The _book."

"Where to?"

"To where I was supposed to put it."

"Where was that?"

"I don't know."

"Then how do you know you did it?"

"He said so."

"Quiet, all of you!" The king's voice cut through his minions' conversation. He was holding a seeing crystal that was tuned to the little red covered book. A pair of hands grasped the cover and flipped it open. "She did it! I knew she would." The goblin king rejoiced.

"Did what?" A goblin asked.

"Talked about the Labyrinth." Jareth replied.

"What did she say?"

"It doesn't matter. But _he_ has the book now and it won't be long ."

"What book?" Another goblin asked.

"The _Labyrinth_ book. Ant moved the book from Sarah's room." Jareth growled as his patience with the goblins dwindled.

"Where to?"

"To the boy's house!" Jareth snapped.

"Where was that?"

"Does it matter?"

"I don't know."

"Then why are you asking these questions?"

"He said so." The goblin pointed to another goblin who had been whispering the question to him.

The goblin king rolled his eyes and then resumed watching his seeing crystal. It would not be long now.

* * *

Above all, Sarah hated Mondays. Mondays meant schoolwork and little time for imagination. Even worse, her stepmother insisted that she walk straight home from school without stopping at the park. "C'mon feet." She encouraged herself as she departed the school grounds.

Something was wrong. She knew it almost instantly. Though she scanned her surroundings, Sarah failed to see the concealed owl watching her. Yet the feeling of trepidation did not leave her. The walk home seemed to be taking longer than usual and without thinking, she found herself sprinting home.

When she opened the front door and entered the house, her heart was beating intensely. "There you are!" Her stepmother's shrill voice startled Sarah. She grasped her heart with relief as she recognized the speaker. "Are you alright? Why were you running?"

"No reason." Sarah lied. She was not about to admit she had felt something unexplainable like a bad omen.

"Thank heavens." Her stepmother released her withheld breath. "I was so worried about you. It was all over the news."

"What was?" Sarah's interest was piqued.

"Keira, the neighbour's child, was snatched right from her house. She's been missing since last night. Can you imagine that! A kidnapper stole a child from the house right next to ours. Oh! What if it had been Toby? I don't want you leaving the house anymore. Not without your father or myself. One of us will drive you to school tomorrow. Until this kidnapper is caught you are staying indoors."

Although her initial instinct was to whine about the unfairness of the house arrest, Sarah could not shake the feeling that the kidnapping was not a coincidence. "Did they say anything about how Keira was stolen?"

"There was no evidence of a break in. Whoever did it must have been a professional."

_Or did not need a door._ Sarah thought to herself. "Can we go see them? Our neighbours, I mean."

"Not today. I promised to bake a lasagne for them tomorrow."

"But tomorrow will be too late!" Sarah realised.

"Too late for what?"

"Umm... nevermind. I just... well... Winston borrowed a book from me and I need it for a project tomorrow."

"Well, you can write to your teacher and explain the situation. I am sure she will understand that you did not want to disturb a grieving family."

"I guess..." Sarah resigned. Perhaps the boy was running the labyrinth anyways. But then, why had she not heard of two missing children? And how did he know about the words? Sarah realised how foolish she had been for even telling the boy about the goblins, but she had not given him enough information to call upon the goblin king. After all, she had needed the _Labyrinth_ book to figure it out, and even then, the words had not been written. She had just happened to say them.

It did not make sense that he could have figured it all out, but nevertheless, Sarah was feeling somewhat responsible for the situation and so she staked herself out by a window overlooking the neighbour's house. She hoped she would not see a sign of Winston, or, even better, to see him return with the child in tow, but to her dismay the boy appeared at the window. She squinted her eyes to see what he was doing.

He eyes widened in horror as she noticed something clutched under the boys arm. Moving closer to the window, Sarah waited for the boy to turn so she could have a better vantage and to confirm what she dreaded. A crowd of boys roughly the same age as Winston came to gather around him. He beckoned to them until they were quite close then Winston turned and Sarah fell back in fear; he was holding a battered old red book.

And he was smiling.

He was smiling as he opened the _Labyrinth_ book and read its words.

He was smiling as he handed the book to one of the many friends gathered around him.

It was spreading and she had started it.

Sarah bolted for the door, intent on stopping the foolish boys. By the looks on their faces, it was evident that they knew what the book could teach them to do. How could they consider wishing away their siblings? How could they?

Sarah's hand closed on the doorknob. It spun in her hand and opened of its own accord. Fearing who would be behind the door, Sarah jumped back.

"Sarah? What are you doing?" It was her father coming home from work.

"I need to go outside!" She insisted.

"Oh no you do not. Did you not hear the news report? Your stepmother and I decided that you cannot leave this house unless one of us is with you and I just got home from work and need to put my feet up. You can wait until after your homework is completed and then we can go outside if you want."

"I need to go now!"

"Absolutely not. You turn around and march right on up to your room and study."

"But dad!"

"I will not say it again Sarah."

From behind her father, Sarah watched the boy who had just received the _Labyrinth _book exit the neighbour's house. He held the book open and read it as he walked to his mother's car. It was too late. She could not stop the car.

It came as no surprise that within the hour, a news bulletin caused Sarah's stepmother to scream, "Another child has been kidnapped!"

The news network was running a special on the kidnapped children from Sarah's street.

Not wanting to hear of anymore missing children or to imagine the triumphant glower the goblin king must be wearing, Sarah made a desperate move. While her father and stepmother sat entranced by the television, Sarah crept to the backdoor. Her hand closed on the handle and she cringed as it creaked when she twisted it. The old hinges squeaked faintly as she opened the portal and then closed it behind herself. "I made it." She breathed.

Then Merlin started barking.

"No Merlin. Quiet." Sarah whispered harshly.

The dog did not listen. He wanted to go for a walk, something he had been denied because Sarah was trapped in the house.

"Why is Merlin barking? Go check it out." Sarah heard her stepmother squeal. "What if it is the kidnapper? Oh Toby!"

Sarah tried to run, but it was too late. She leapt for cover as the door opened. "Sarah?" Her father called after her in an uncompromising temper. She contemplated fleeing, but that tone told her that the consequences were not worth the effort. "I thought I told you-"

Sarah interrupted him, "I know, but if you would just let me go I can-"

"You can what? Get kidnapped yourself? You get in here this instant. You are grounded, you hear me!"

Sarah glanced at Winston's house, back to her own. She had tried, right? It was not her fault, right? She attempted to console herself as she slumped back to her own home. Still she could not help but cringe at what the wretched goblin king might do to an innocent sweetheart like Keira?

Her father did some more yelling, as did her stepmother, but Sarah did not hear a word. When it was over, she trudged up to her room and collapsed on her bed in the darkness. Tears flooded her bedspread. "It's not fair." She mumbled, though she had recently sworn not to say that mantra again. "I wish I could do something."

Now, Sarah should have known better than to use the 'w' word, but she lost herself in her dramatics. She knew the word was taboo even as she spoke it, so it did not surprise Sarah to find that she was no longer alone in her room. She opened her eyes, expecting to see an explosion of glitter as the goblin king appeared before her. It was not, however, her recent nemesis.

"And would you like me to grant that wish?" An ivory skinned maiden with gossamer wings asked.

"Who are you?"

"I am the faerie queen." Nerissa replied in her sweetest tone. "I grant wishes to melancholy maidens."

The ever skeptical Sarah argued, "Hoggle said faeries do not grant wishes."

"What is a Huggle?"

"_Hoggle_," she corrected, "is not a what; Hoggle is a dwarf from the labyrinth. He told me faeries do not grant wishes and I believe him because immediately after I tried to help one, it bit me."

"Faeries certainly do _not_ grant wishes to the servants of the goblin king. He is an evil creature and we are of goodly weal. We would never aid the goblin king or any of his servants."

Sarah shook her head, uncertain if she should believe the winged woman. "Even if faeries do make wishes, I don't know if it will help anything."

"But you want to stop the goblin king, right? By now, he has stolen half a dozen children and it will not be long before others learn of the _Labyrinth_."

"Well, yes, I want to stop him. But I just do not think making a wish is the way to do it. I could try and stop him myself."

For just a second, Nerissa's temper flared. Jareth had assured her this would be easy. She did not normally appear in the guise of such a soft-hearted wish-granter and it was beginning to grate on her nerves to appear so docile. Normally Nerissa pursued the greedy, ambitious, and the vengeful humans who desired aid from someone who was just as malicious as they. "How do you plan on seeing him, child?"

"Oh, I never thought of that." Sarah pondered it. "I guess I could try and call for him."

"Let me help you, child. I know that you are a noble hero who has already defeated the goblin king once. He has wronged me and my faeries, and I want to stop him as much as you."

"What do you want to do for me?" Sarah asked hesitantly.

"To help you get out of this prison." She gestured to Sarah's room.

"No," Sarah shook her head. "That is too vague of a wish. I only get one, right? I would rather save it. What I need right now is to go talk to Winston and find out what is going on and I do not need any magical assistance for that."

Nerissa's cheek twitched. This was not how it was supposed to be at all. "Are you certain?"

"Positively," Sarah's eyes twinkled as she confidently nodded her affirmation. "It'll be a piece of cake."

"Well then, call on me if you want my help. I will not be far off." The faerie assured her. With a flick of her wrist, Nerissa's size diminished and she fluttered out the window.

* * *

From outside the window, Jareth watched the entire ordeal. Had his owl form the capacity to smirk, Jareth would have worn a wicked one. He saw Sarah's jaw firm as she rejected Nerissa's aid; she had used similar resolve when he had met her in the tunnels right before he had sent the cleaners after her.

Nerissa, however, was not impressed. She still did not understand her role in the whole scheme of things. The point was to ensure Sarah did not forget about the labyrinth, forget about him. Not until Jareth could...

It was too delicious to even consider it. He would not become overconfident again. This time he would not allow any opportunity for Sarah to escape... or any of the children who were penned up in his castle awaiting their transformation into goblin men.

"Jareth!" Sarah bellowed. It was the first time she had spoken his name. The word was formed in anger, in a series of grating syllables, but it sounded beautiful to the twisted goblin king. It held the perfect combination of heartbreak and vengeance that usually accompanied a wish, but this time it was said by _her. _She called his name again and, oh, he wished he could answer her frenzied call. Her frustration was tangible and he wanted to bask in its energy; but alas, it could not be.

He waited patiently though, knowing she would figure out how to return to his presence. It was all coming together so smoothly.


	4. Descent

**The usual disclaimer... I don't own the characters, places, or words. I just arranged them. **

* * *

"Why won't you answer me." Sarah grumbled when Jareth did not appear in all his goblin-glory. "What is different this time?" The answer was obvious, but Sarah hated to consider the consequences. Last time she had wished Toby away and so the goblin king had had to come and let her run the labyrinth. This time she offered him no prize so he did not appear. Did that mean she would have to wish Toby away again? No, she would never take that chance. But maybe Winston could get the goblin king's attention – assuming his thirteen hours were not up.

There was only one way to find out.

Sarah had never contemplated leaping out her window to grab the rather thin tree branch that loomed outside, but desperate times called for extreme measures. She had, after all, been suspended over the bog of eternal stench grasping a much smaller branch and lived smell-free to talk about.

Unlatching the window, she climbed onto the sill and crouched like a gargoyle in the window. A fluttering of wings told her that something had been perched outside though she thought nothing of the creature. Her only concern was the potential fall. "On the count of three." She decided. "One... two... and... three!"

Sarah leapt from her window. Her fingers closed around the branch and everything seemed to work brilliantly. At least, it had seemed fine until the branch broke. Her legs collided with the branch below as she tumbled from that one to the next. Down she fell, smacking herself painfully on several branches along the way. Luckily, the ground cushioned her behind.

It took a moment for Sarah's head to clear from the dizzying descent and for her to awaken her sore muscles. No doubt, she would be covered in bruises tomorrow.

When she was back in control of her body, she jogged to the neighbour's house. It was too late at night to knock on the door so she had to try a less conventional means to enter the house. She tried a window but it was sealed shut, as she suspected they all would be. How then would she enter the house? Sarah looked up and saw that a second floor window was open. She ran around the house to where the garden's latticework climbed up the wall to the low roof that covered the entryway. Digging her fingers into the lattice grooves, Sarah scaled the wall and dragged herself onto the roof. She stepped lightly across the surface knowing that if she was sighted, they might think she was involved in the kidnapping.

The room with the opened window was not connected to the roof, but it was just around the corner. Sarah tried to find some stabilizing handhold as she prepared to throw her leg around the house and hope to catch it on the sill. She dreaded to think what would happen if she missed.

"Alright on the count of three again." She told herself. "One..." Sarah did not even get to two. Something stirred from below and she was so startled she flung her leg around the house without thinking. Her hand followed and, luckily, she grasped the sill. Balanced with one foot on the roof and the other on the sill, Sarah found herself immobile. How was she to maintain her balance with her precarious grip and unstable footing? She inched her foot along the sill until she found a slightly more balanced position and then tightened her grip and threw herself towards the window. She had meant to catch herself on the sill, but slipped. She managed to thrust her upper body forward though; despite her lower body dangling out the open window, her stomach folded over the sill. Sarah dragged herself into the room and rolled to the ground in agony.

"This is not the time to rest." She grumbled to herself as she rolled onto her back.

A shadow fell over her and Sarah knew she had been caught. "And what do you think you are doing?" Winston's voice cracked.

"Uhhh. Give me a minute to catch my breath. I just fell out of a tree, climbed a wall, and jumped off a roof into a window to get here."

"You are going to be in so much trouble." Winston smirked.

"Not as much as you are when they find out you wished your sister away to the goblin king."

Winston paused as he considered her words. He had clearly not expected her to know what he had done, "They would never believe it." He decided.

"I have a faerie offering to grant me a wish. Trust me, I will make them understand."

Her conviction was startling and Winston's courage seemed to flee. He was, after all, several years younger than Sarah and a head shorter at least. Though he would never say it, she was intimidating. "Did you come here to threaten me?"

"No, I came here to get you to save your sister. Hopefully there is still enough time for you to go to the labyrinth and save her."

"Why would I do that? I wished her away for a reason."

Sarah's eyes flashed with fury at the arrogance of this boy. "Because it's the right thing to do and you know it."

"I didn't ask for her to be in my life. It's only fair that I get to send her away." Winston retorted. He folded his arms across his chest in defiance.

"You will call for the goblin king or I _will_ tell your mother that you helped the kidnapper." As added incentive, Sarah grabbed Winston's ear and pulled upwards as she had once done with another cowardly, argumentative friend.

"Let go of me, you are hurting." Winston whined.

"Call for the goblin king."

"Fine, fine. Just let me go."

Sarah gave his ear one final upward tug and then let him go. She put her hands on her hips and waited.

"I don't know what to say." Winston shrugged.

"Well what did he say when he first came here? Did he give you thirteen hours?"

"I've never seen a goblin king. I made the wish and then Keira was gone. That's it."

"What do you mean he did not come here? He has to let you run the labyrinth. He came right away last time."

"Well, he never came to me." Winston snapped.

"Try calling for him." Sarah insisted.

"Fine... Goblin king are you there? Hello? Calling the goblin king... It's not working."

"I don't get it. Why isn't he coming?" Sarah wondered aloud. Just the other night when she was in the Labyrinth it seemed like he was always showing up and making things difficult. So why was he avoiding her now?

Truly, Jareth did want to appear before them and he could, what with the boy having a sibling awaiting transformation. But if Jareth went now, then he would lose the advantage. He trusted that Sarah would find out how to demand his presence; he merely needed to be patient.

"We have to think this through logically." Sarah decided. "There has to be some way of figuring it out. The labyrinth always had its quirks centered in logic."

"No we do not. We do not have to do anything." Winston argued.

Sarah ignored him as she puzzled over the situation. "What did you say to call the goblin king to snatch Keira?"

"Who is this goblin king you keep talking about? I don't know anything about him."

"The goblin king is the one who takes the children and turns them into goblin children." Sarah remarked impatiently.

"Well sorry that I did not know that. I just told the goblins to take Keira away. No king was involved."

"Well what words did you say?"

"I wish the goblins would take you away, right now. Just like the book told me to." Winston shrugged.

"No, the book did not say the words." Sarah denied.

"Yes it did. They had a whole page to themselves." Winston insisted. "I was surprised you read a book like that, I always figured you'd be into some sort of princess fantasy nonsense with dwarves and monsters."

"It is a princess fantasy play."

"No it wasn't. There was nothing theatrical about it."

"You must not have read the whole thing."

"I did not have to read the whole thing, I just glanced at the table of contents and it had nothing fantastical about it."

Sarah finally ended the argument by exclaiming, "It doesn't make sense!" She pulled on her hair in frustration and let out a long sigh. "Or does it?" She murmured. "What if Jareth changed the words?"

"That's just nonsense." Winston snubbed.

Sarah ignored his remark. "We have to get that book back." She decided. "The only way to know is if we get the book back."

"Fine, we can do it tomorrow." Winston replied. "Right now I need to get some sleep."

"No way. You need to do it now, before your time runs out. So grab a jacket, we are going to go find that book."

"But Claude lives so far away." Winston whined.

"Then you should not have given the book to him. Now, c'mon."

* * *

Winston had, of course, exaggerated the distance to Claude's house. Claude lived on the same street as Sarah and Winston, but was a half dozen blocks away. To Sarah, who frequently went a longer distance to spend her evenings in the park, it was a short jaunt.

"Does that owl follow you everywhere?" Winston moaned between complaints about how tired he was and how sore his feet were.

"Hmm?" Sarah queried.

"That owl," Winston pointed to a raptor perched in a tree that they had passed. "It sits outside your window a lot and when you leave your house, it often follows."

Sarah frowned at the ivory bird but said nothing. She had had an encounter with an owl before, but she doubted this was the same. At least, she hoped it was not the same. "Probably just a coincidence." She suggested. If it were _him,_ he would have appeared earlier.

"Not that I care anyways." Winston added quickly. "Why would I care?"

It was comments like those that made Sarah wish she was dealing with the goblins again, rather than this annoying boy.

"There's Claude's house." Winston pointed to a brick home two doors down.

"Do you think you can get us in?" Sarah asked. It was definitely too late to knock on a strangers door and ask to be allowed in, especially since this was probably the home of the other missing child.

"I am not going to fly through a second floor window, if that is what you mean." Winston remarked.

"Then what do we do?" Sarah prepared herself for another tirade of complaints from Winston, but to her surprise, he remained silent.

Winston held his finger to his lips to silence her as they neared the house. Then tip toeing to the side he located his friend's window. Reaching his finger to the glass, he began to quietly rap on it. Moments later the repugnant boy Sarah had seen take the _Labyrinth_ book appeared at the window. Looking around in consternation, the boy sighted his friend. The window creaked open as Claude addressed Winston, "What are you doing here?" He asked in a hushed tone.

"Just let me in." Winston insisted. "Here grab my hand." Winston extended his arm and then turning to Sarah he said, "Give me a boost."

She hoisted Winston up while Claude guided him through the window. The boys then scattered within the room to ensure they were not heard, leaving Sarah alone outside.

"Winston!" She whispered harshly. "Winston!" But neither of the boys went to the window to help her through. So once again, Sarah had to awkwardly and painfully boost herself through the portal. The sill dug into her stomach where she had thrown herself forward until she could inch forward on her hands. Feeling increasingly ungraceful, she plodded forward on her hands until her feet dropped from the sill behind her. "Oww." She hissed. "Thanks for the help." She added.

"Who is that?" Claude cast Sarah a sideward glance.

"Inconsequential." Winston replied, "Do you have the book?"

"Nope," Claude answered, "I gave it to Peter."

Sarah and Winston shared a look of grief. They would have to do this whole process over again and likely another child would have been wished away. Would they be able to stem the Goblin King's influence, had it already spread beyond their power to stop?

"Just kidding," Claude laughed, "I have it right here. You should have seen your faces. White as ghosts."

"Not funny." Winston snapped. "You have no idea what I have been through this evening."

Sarah rolled her eyes, knowing he was talking about her. "Just give me the book." She told them.

Safely in her hands again, Sarah actually felt a bit nostalgic for the book that had been her only companion for some time. She flipped to the first page, expecting to see unfamiliar words like Winston had mentioned. Yet what she saw was what she had memorized from the thousand times she had read it before.

"Winston," she beckoned the boy, "Read to me what the first page says."

"Read it yourself." Winston whined.

"I see the same thing I always saw; a play about a princess and the goblin king. I want to know if you see something different."

"Fine," Winston grabbed the volume and flipped to the first page. "The ordinances of the Labyrinthian society," he read. "A chronicle of the goblin race, its laws, and its purposes."

"That's not what the book says at all." Claude wrinkled his nose as he snatched it from Winston. "See right here," Claude pointed to a page which to Sarah was part of the script and to Winston appeared a section of the goblin law, "It says, 'How to be rid of unwanted children: the humans guide to goblin wishes.'"

"Interesting..." Sarah pondered aloud. "We each see something different."

"We each see what we want to see." Winston assumed. "You like that fantasy stuff, so that is how the book reads for you and Claude is so stupid the book has to be absolutely clear on its purposes or he might miss it."

"Hey!" Claude snapped. His voice rose above a whisper in his outrage and both Sarah and Winston reach forward to slap a hand over his mouth.

"Well, is there a chapter on the Goblin King or entering the labyrinth?" Sarah prodded Winston.

He opened the book and flipped to the table of contents. "Chapter One – The difference between Goblins and Goblin Men; Chapter Two – The Goblin obsession with Chickens; Chapter Three – Laws created by Goblins... Curious, there is no page listed." Out of curiosity, Winston found the end of chapter two and turned the page to find it went straight into chapter four, which happened to be entitled, 'The Goblin King.' "I found it," he informed Sarah.

She nearly snatched the book from him, but from over her shoulder, she saw that it still read the lines from the play: But what no one knew was that the king of the goblins had fallen in...

Sarah lost focus in what she was reading as Winston spoke, "It says, 'The illustrious king Jareth conquered the goblin nation and made for himself a grand labyrinth to guard his pristine castle. Though he was merely a child of two hundred, the luminous Jareth defeated the previous goblin king and turned him into a dull witted monster. Using his new seat of power and magic... blah, blah, blah. Is this even helping?"

"See if it talks about the wishes or sending people to challenge the labyrinth." Sarah told him.

Winston dove back into the book, skimming the lines for mention of anything related to the topics Sarah had mentioned. "I do not see anything here." He shrugged, "There's a lot about how difficult it is to style his hair though."

"I don't care about that!" Sarah moaned.

"Wait, I think this might be relevant." Winston interrupted her. "It says: If a human should wish a child away, they will become one of the goblin men or women. They inherit the twisted minds of the goblins themselves, though they retain a humanoid form. There is no way to undo the wish once it has been said, even it if is said by accident. The goblin king has never granted a human the opportunity to rescue their wished away child no matter how much begging or pleading a human has done."

"It does not make sense." Sarah scrunched her face in frustration. "I was able to run the Labyrinth and rescue Toby. Why would your book say you cannot. Is that what you want it to say?"

"Let me see what it says for me," Claude snatched the book away. "Say the following words to wish away a child: 'I wish the goblins would come and take you away, right now.' Warning: the wish can never be undone."

"What else does it say?" Winston asked.

"Nothing. Those are the only words in that whole book." Claude shrugged.

"What about you Sarah?"

Sarah shrugged and picked up the book again, thumbing to the beginning. "Once upon a time there was a beautiful young girl whose stepmother always made her stay home with the baby. And the baby was a spoiled child and he wanted everything for himself and the young girl was practically a slave. But what no one knew was that the king of the goblins had fallen in love with the girl and he had given her certain powers." Sarah silently put the book down. She had never really considered the meaning of that last sentence. She read the words over again. And again. And again. What did it mean?

Winston broke the silence, "You're special somehow."

"It's not what you think." Sarah shook her head. "It cannot be."

"But it says-"

Sarah cut Winston off, "I know what it says. But you do not know _him. _It cannot be true because he is incapable of feelings. He's little more than a stubborn, spoiled child demanding fear, obedience, and..."

"And what?" Claude asked.

"Nothing." Sarah sighed.

Winston shrugged. "So what do we do now?"

"I... I do not know." Sarah replied. "But we have to get your siblings back."

"Aww man, you didn't tell me that was what you were trying to do. If I would have known that I would never had let you in." Claude moaned.

"Be quiet Claude." Winston snapped.

Sarah's brow wrinkled at Winston's remark. She had expected more complaints from him, but perhaps the reality of his sister's transformation was finally sinking in.

Instinctively Sarah's hands closed on the _Labyrinth _book and clutched it close to her chest. Her thumb stroked the familiar cover, feeling the texture of the lettering.

From within the house the muffled sound of a clock chiming could be heard. Winston's fingers counted out the hours. "No!" He gasped as it reached its final chime. "It cannot be."

"What?" Claude asked.

"I wished Keira away thirteen hours ago." Winston realised.

Sarah's eyes went wide as the reality sunk in. That sweet girl she had seen only this morning would have become a twisted, menacing goblin-minded girl.

"Claude? Why is your light on?" A voice from the hall, followed by steps broke her reverie.

"That's my dad! You have to go. Now, now, now." Claude roused them and nearly shoved them out the window. Sarah fell on her face as Claude's hand pushed her through the portal.

"Not again." Sarah moaned just before Winston tumbled down onto her. "I am going to be in so much pain tomorrow." She mumbled.

Winston's hand slapped over her mouth and pushed her against the wall so they could not be seen from out the window. He pulled her aside just before Claude's father entered his son's room to see if something was amiss.

* * *

The walk back was a silent one for Sarah and Winston. When they reached their houses, Winston stopped Sarah and asked, "So, what do we do now?"

"I have no idea." Sarah shrugged.

"You're not giving up, are you?"

"What can we do if we cannot get to the Underworld? It's not like we can just walk there or even drive or fly there." Sarah's head cocked to the side. She felt that she had just given herself a clue; she should know something.

"So that is it? There's no hope for Keira?"

A brilliant smile lit up Sarah's face. "There's always hope."

Winston's pudgy face crinkled at the alteration to Sarah's expression. "So you have a plan?"

"It's a piece of cake!" Sarah exclaimed before bounding towards her home. In her excitement, Sarah entirely forgot about the quarantine she had been placed under and so proceeded to run through the front door calling Winston to follow her. Needless to say, when her parents heard her trotting up to the front door they were furious. They never even noticed Winston, so blinding was their anger.

The next thing Sarah knew, she was back in her room having endured an intense scolding. Her father had even jury-rigged a window lock, though it was hardly necessary. Sarah was not about to attempt that jump again. She had, after all, broken the pivotal branch.

She hoped that her father's workmanship would not hinder her upcoming guest. She donned her jeans and a white blouse, the same outfit she had worn the night before in the Labyrinth, then carefully but securely tucked the _Labyrinth _book into a pocket. She was not about to leave it behind for a goblin to steal and make the situation worse.

"Faerie Queen. Faerie Queen, hear my call and answer me." She called out.

"I am here." A soft voice materialized behind Sarah. "What is it you want from me child?"

"Can you send Winston and I to the Underground so we can rescue the children stolen by the Goblin King even though the thirteen hours is up?" Sarah immediately requested.

"Yes." The faerie replied as a slow smirk crept upon her face. "You merely need to phrase it as a wish."

"I knew it!" Sarah exclaimed.

A crash at the window startled her before she could phrase her wish. Sarah leapt back as a white owl scratched at the glass attempting to get in, just like it had the night before. This time though it had to contend with her father's improvised lock. Its movements grew more frantic and Sarah realised the Goblin King must have been listening to her and the faerie and must not want her to rescue the children. Not only did it give her hope that she could indeed save them, but it also made her hasty. She did not know how long it would take until the owl burst through the window and so her wish was made quite rapidly. "I wish that I was in the Underground so I can rescue the stolen children."

A flash of light and all was quiet. Sarah covered her eyes to protect them from the effulgence. Sensing the teleportation was over, Sarah opened her eyes and lowered her arms to find herself standing in the middle of a street crowded with people.


	5. An Entreaty

**The usual disclaimer... I don't own the characters, places, or words. I just arranged them.**

* * *

"What happened?" Sarah wondered aloud. All around her milled hundreds of people. They did not seem to be going anywhere or doing anything, just lounging about. "This isn't the Labyrinth. Where am I?" She vociferated. There were no buildings or landmarks that she could see and aside from the peculiar brick path she was standing on, there were nothing but people.

Though she wanted to call out to the Faerie Queen, Sarah considered this might not be the place to do so. With so many adults around, she could easily be perceived of as deserving mental treatment and that was a trial Sarah did not wish to overcome. So she attempted to traverse through the people in hopes of finding a secluded corner to call her ally. That was when she realised she had forgotten to wish for Winston to join her.

With a note to herself that when she tried the wish again, she would bring Winston with her, Sarah traversed into the throng of bodies. Most of them refused to move so she had to plot a course around and through them.

They were a vile bunch, or so she thought. They haughtily laughed and flirted promiscuously. Not even a glance would they deign in her direction, nor did they seem to hear her calls of, "Excuse me," and "Pardon me." They reminded her of something or somewhere that she could barely remember.

But such thoughts were hardly productive and so Sarah pushed them away. She was on a mission and like her foray into the Labyrinth, she knew that distractions could have fatal mistakes. She had nearly forgotten Toby when the Goblin King had given her a hallucinatory peach. The wretched king had reached deep into her mind and found her unspoken dream to be a Cinderella. To have the prince choose _her_, and reject all the other suitors, to dance with him and have him lavish her with promises of tomorrow, those were here deepest desires. She wanted what most girls wanted, to be loved and adored by her beloved. But he had ruined it.

Worst of all, Sarah realised she had been hoping for something she was not ready for. The way his eyes had scoured her frightened her. She was just a teenage girl, innocent in the mechanism of love and physicality. He promised her forever but his eyes spoke of something other than the freedom she hoped love would give her.

"This is not the time for such thoughts." She scolded herself. "You have to keep focused."

The forest of people did not seem to be thinning at all and Sarah had to wonder why they had nothing better to do than stand around. "They're like goblins." She whispered to herself. "Standing about with nothing to do but try to amuse themselves."

Once she had said it, Sarah could not help but see the truth of her statement. Here one female flirted with a male, there a man grabbed the hat of another and fled in haste only to be chased by the original possessor, in another clique several women gawked at the choice of dress of an outsider, and even those standing by their lonesome were occupied by some idle amusement. Had these people been several feet shorter and more grotesque looking, she would have assumed them goblins.

Sarah halted.

She spun around taking in all the people.

She heard a familiar laugh; "Ahahaha".

She knew these people. The reason they reminded her of goblins was because they were part of Jareth's kingdom. These were the people who had attended the Goblin Masque. These were _his _people!

Fear welled up in Sarah. What if they recognized her? How had she not recognized them immediately? Where could she go? She had been travelling through this crowd for longer than she could remember, and still it had not let up.

Her pace quickened and though she wanted to flee, she did not want to draw attention to herself. She felt like peacock in a hen house though. Not only did her garb betray that she did not belong, but she could not imitate the dull look of amusement plastered on the Goblin Men's faces.

"One step at a time." She decided. Celebrating every inch of ground covered, she made her way through the crowd.

Finally, she could see the end of the throng. "Fifteen more paces." She decided. "Ten." "Five."

SMACK.

Sarah tumbled to the ground. Her head hit the brick path and made everything spin. She groaned as she attempted to sit up. Next to her, spread on the ground, was the woman who had run into her. Sarah eventually made it to her feet and stumbled towards the woman. "Are you alright? Let me help you up."

The woman's eyes widened as she looked at Sarah's proffered hand. The entire crowd grew silent. Without turning, Sarah knew they were all looking at her.

* * *

"I suppose it would be futile for me to remind you that I do not welcome your presence in my home." Nerissa curtly remarked when Jareth materialized in her private chamber.

"You must earn the right to privacy. Your recent betrayal has denied you that privilege."

"Betrayal?" Whatever are you referring to?" Nerissa coyly asked.

"You know exactly what I speak of. Where did you send her? She made a wish, I heard her summon you and I felt your power go out."

The faux innocence was gone in Nerissa's tone; she replied with no small measure of impatience, "I did exactly as you said, Goblin King. I granted her wish."

"You did not!" Jareth fumed. He grabbed her by the shoulders and shoved her against a wall. Were she smaller, it would have been a patent leather boot in the face. "When she wished to go to the Labyrinth again, you were supposed to summon me."

Nerissa smiled despite all his intimidation. "But she did not wish to return to the Labyrinth or for a chance to run your foul maze. I did what you asked. You said grant her wish and I did. You said that when she asked to return to the Labyrinth, to summon you. And I did, in a manner of speaking. She has not yet asked to return to the Labyrinth, but I assure you I will call you as soon as she does."

Jareth gave her another shove and then released her. "I know you have betrayed me." He replied ominously. "But I will forgive you if only you tell me where she is."

"Can you not sense her, Goblin King?"

Jareth gritted his teeth and with a predatory snarl he replied, "You know very well that I cannot. She is under your power and so I cannot sense her."

"Well, that is a shame." Nerissa chided. "She might actually succeed then. You have no way of knowing where she is coming from and can therefore not interfere with her every move."

Jareth grew very quiet. His eyes narrowed on Nerissa and she trembled to hold her calm. She had never seem him this furious and she tried to tell herself that it was worth it. When it came down to it, she did not know if her power could resist his. He could very likely kill her and unlike her, he would feel no remorse for such an action.

To her great relief, he disappeared.

* * *

Winston had watched as Sarah's parents hauled her into their house and then proceeded to slam the door behind them. He tried not to be offended by their rude treatment, but after hearing the verbal lashing they were giving Sarah, which was audible even from their front yard, he was glad he was not in the house itself.

Deciding the best place to station himself was outside Sarah's window, Winston waited for Sarah to attempt some message for him. Then he saw Sarah's father close her window and nail it shut.

"Perhaps a retreat is in order." He decided. "Not like I want my parents to know I'm out here."

Having snuck back into his room, Winston attempted to sleep. There was nothing he could do anyways... or was there?

Five minutes rolled into ten, and ten into fifteen. Still he could not shake the feeling that perhaps there was something he could do. But what? Sarah had not explained what she was planning to do before she had ambled up to her front door. "I wish she had told me what was going on." He said to himself as he glanced at the clock again. "Wish?... Wish?" The word seemed to resonate with some instinct deep within the stubborn boy.

"Sarah said she had a faerie willing to grant her a wish!" He suddenly remembered. Leaping from his bed, he opened his window and shouted, "Faerie, if you are out there, I want to make a wish."

His own lack of propriety disturbed him, but no one seemed to have been disturbed by the racket he had made. Unfortunately, it did not seem like the faerie had heard either.

"Man, why does Sarah get all the luck? The Goblin King visits her and faeries want to grant her wishes. Even goblins play with her."

"Trust me boy, a visit from the Goblin King is never a pleasant thing." A melodious voice answered Winston.

"How did you get in here!" Winston shrieked at the woman who sat atop his dresser. "Who are you?"

"If I were to guess why it is that Sarah gets 'all the luck' as you say, it is because she is far cleverer than yourself." Nerissa chided. "Well, you called me, what is it that you want to wish for?"

Winston gave a hard look at the woman. Her clothes were definitely peculiar; they seemed to be made of gossamer and flower blossoms. Definitely not in vogue this year. Her hair was plaited with more flowers and because it lacked the sheer volume he was accustomed to, it seemed to cling too tightly to her head. Then he saw the wings and thought they were a peculiar fashion accessory; at least, until he saw them flutter with impatience.

"Well, boy? I have had a very trying day and wish to be going. Do you want a girl to love you or perhaps all the money in the world?"

"No," Winston shook his head at such absurd notions. "Wait, are you the faerie?" He finally clued in.

"Obviously," Nerissa rolled her eyes.

"You're not what I expected." He told her.

"Are you going to make a wish?" She snapped.

"Yes, yes." He assured her. "Let me just think of a good one. Can you tell me if Sarah made a wish yet?"

"Of course I cannot tell you."

"Right. Well, I suppose I could wish to join her, but I think I would just get in the way. She seems to have a pretty good handle on this whole situation. So I guess I just want to wish that she is safe."

"You understand that your wish is only contingent upon this moment. It does not make her safe forever."

"Umm... sure?"

"Then phrase it as a wish and let me be off."

"I wish that Sarah is safe."

* * *

Nerissa rubbed her hands together in anticipation. Like the Goblin King, she had her own way of viewing the subjects of her wishes and she was keeping a careful eye on the girl. The boy's wish could not have come at a better time for Sarah had gotten herself in quite the predicament. The whole host of Goblin Men seemed alert to her presence and though they were stunned into silence, she knew that their tempers could easily turn awry.

"But how to grant the boy's wish?" Nerissa asked herself. She did not want to remove Sarah from her current location; Nerissa had put here there for a reason. So teleportation to safety was hardly the answer. Nor did she want to erase the memories of the entire host of Goblin Men for that might be counterproductive in the long run. If she made Sarah invisible, then she might never become corporeal again and that was not the answer. But what if she distracted the Goblin Men? How could she do that? "Ah, but of course!"

It would take far more magic than Nerissa had attempted in centuries, but she would bet her wish-granting spells against any other magic in the Underground.

* * *

Though Sarah wanted to flee, she found herself frozen. There were simply too many peering eyes. She imagined the goblins were akin to hunting dogs, once she ran they would catch her and rip her to shreds. Maybe if she played dead or did not move, she would not be visible to them.

One or two head turned and Sarah thought that perhaps her ploy of stealth had worked. But when whole waves of Goblin Men turned to face the other direction, Sarah was not sure whether to feel relief or terror.

Then she sighted what had drawn their eyes: a fuming Goblin King. "Where am I? How did I get here?" He shouted. "Who dared to materialize me!"

Sarah ran.

She fled from the crowd of Goblin Men and into the open. It was at least twenty paces before she could reach some cover, but she figured it was worth the risk. She could still hear his cursing and fuming over the crowd of Gobin Men. "Nerissa, I know that was you. You had better not be around when I am released from whatever sorcery you used on me." He said.

Sarah hurtled over the ruins of an old column and laid herself flat behind it to simultaneously catch her breath and hide. Hopefully the Goblin King had not spotted her. Hopefully his minions had forgotten her.

The Underground was different this time around. Before it had been a game; for whatever reason, the Goblin King had toyed with her because he had never expected success. This time though, she doubted he would be as merciful.


	6. The Faeries

**The usual disclaimer... I don't own the characters, places, or words. I just arranged them.**

* * *

Nerissa's spell of holding over the Goblin King lasted only until Sarah was safely out of view of the Goblin Men and their ruler. Jareth felt the containment release the way a human would feel shackles fall from their wrists. The spell had held him for only a few minutes and though angered, Jareth took the time to consider the implications. Nerissa, or whoever sent him here, had risked the consequences of angering him for a few minutes of imprisonment. It hardly seemed wise for someone to do that, which meant either a magically strong but stupid foe has sent him here or the shrewd Nerissa had a purpose in detaining him here.

"What are you trying to do, Faerie Queen?" He whispered to himself. Already the Goblin Men were turning away from their king; he was only so interesting when he was not ready to crush someone.

Again two options presented themselves. Either Nerissa was hiding something from him and needed him removed from his castle, where he had been before he had been materialized, or there was something here that she wanted him to see. His eyes flashed and his lips curled in a malicious smile, "Sarah."

Jareth flicked his wrist and formed a bubble of infinite possibilities. Letting the bubble roll out of his hands, Jareth instructed it to shatter on the ground. Jareth stepped back as the magic unleashed and an exact replica of his throne appeared atop a newly created platform. Jareth materialized on the throne which sat just above the Goblin Men's heads.

The appearance of a throne in the middle of their gathering caused the Goblin Men to again turn their attention to the king. "Find me the girl." He instructed them. "Whoever finds her will... be most thankful they did so."

"What girl?" One of the Goblin Women cried out.

"He said _the _girl." Another replied.

"You mean the human child? Did someone lose her?"

"Not that girl. _The _girl. The one the king danced with."

"Oh, her." Several of the Goblin Women remarked with sour looks upon their faces.

"Yes her."

"Find her!" The Goblin King silenced their grumbling.

Most of the crowd moved away, but not to find the girl. They rejoined their circles and renewed their search for amusement. Here a Goblin slapped another and across the way a Goblin Man recited all the curse words he knew.

The fuse leading to the explosion of Jareth's anger had run out. The king wanted the girl and he wanted her now. The very sky darkened with his temper. "All of you must search for her or else you will be cast into the bog! Now begone!'

At once, the host of Goblin Men burst into chaotic motion. Like spoiled children unaccustomed to discipline, the Goblin Men did not know how to react to the sudden harshness of their beloved leader. They ran in every direction, fleeing from their wrathful king. Many Goblin Men were trampled in their frantic search because as a whole they were prone to random direction changes. A large Goblin Man would run in one direction and without warning would alter his course by ninety degrees. Whoever ran alongside him would likely be crushed unless they were equally as large. Yet the majority of the Goblin Men made it out of the assembly. All that remained were those who had been trampled and the occasional circlers, those who were so terrified that they ran only in a small circumference. Satisfied with his subjects' efforts, the Goblin King leaned back against his throne's arm.

* * *

Sarah peered out from her hiding place to see if she was being chased. For a moment the Goblin King was not visible, but then a massive throne appeared and Jareth stretched out on it.

Sarah ducked her head back down, satisfied that she had not been spotted. She flattened herself onto her belly and began to crawl along the ground towards shelter a bit further out. She did not make it far though before she sighted something moving towards her at a rapid pace.

At first she thought it was one of the Goblin King's crystal bubbles and she froze in horror. But as the thing sped towards her she realised it had a more definite form.

"Faerie Queen!" Sarah identified the shape despite its diminutive size.

"Hush," Nerissa scolded. "The Goblin King is not pleased and he will send his minions to find you."

"Where am I? You were supposed to send me to the labyrinth."

"Nevermind that. I have played my part and granted your wish even though you killed one of my faeries. And the Goblin King knows that, so I will not answer to any more of your calls. You are on your own from here on."

"When did I kill a faerie?" Sarah puzzled. "And why did you come back then?"

"To tell you I would not be of any more help."

"I figured that, since I only got one wish."

"Oh nevermind then." Nerissa fumed. Why had she come to the girl?

"Well thank you, I guess."

"Don't thank me. You've never been in more danger in your life than this very moment."

"Well, I still want to thank you. Without your help I don't know if I could have had the opportunity to rescue the missing children."

The colour drained from Nerissa's face. How dare the child be grateful. Didn't she understand that the faeries found their pleasure in seeing the demise of the humans? And why had she come back to warn the girl? To keep Jareth from getting his hands on her – Nerissa decided. The longer she could prolong that one's suffering, the better. "I'm leaving." Nerissa announced and then she fluttered away.

Behind Sarah came the trammel of hundreds of Goblin Men running. Sarah turned and saw the explosion. She had no choice now but to run.

* * *

"She has to be here somewhere." Jareth decided. He could almost smell her fear. Yet it was unlikely that the Goblin Men would find Sarah. They were once human and Sarah was human so it was unlikely that his minions would recognize her. It was too much to hope that they remembered her from the masquerade though she had never covered her face. They would not have been watching her as he had and if they had, he would have cut them down. No, they would not find her. She was too clever for them. But Jareth, the great trickster, the mighty Goblin King, was even cleverer than she.

"Where are you going Sarah?" He mused as he brushed a gloved finger across his chin. "The castle," he decided.

With a snap of his finger he was back in his proper throne.

* * *

At first, Sarah fled without considering her course. She needed to get some ground between her and the explosion of Goblin Men. But as her breath grew ragged and her steps more difficult she stopped to ponder her course. She had been running uphill and so thankful was she that she had halted for her feet slid on the loose shale that marked the peak of a hill. She slid forward but managed to grasp an exposed root from one of the few plants growing on the hill. Breathing a sigh of relief that she was no longer a victim of inertia, Sarah attempted to pull herself forward. She kicked her foot down to push herself up but found that she had no footing. Without releasing the plant, Sarah turned to see her legs hanging over the edge of a cliff. Had she not slowed herself when she had, it is likely that she would have slid right off. Carefully working herself forward, Sarah belly crawled until she felt certain that stable ground was beneath her feet. "That was close," she decided, "But now where to go." She could not return the way she came, nor could she go forward. So looking to the left and the right, Sarah found she had two distinct choices: forest or desert.

"Always an antipode," she sighed. While she normally would have hastened to the forest, Sarah recalled her last encounters in Labyrinthian woods. She had nearly lost her head to a gang of Fireys on one occasion and on another she _had_ lost her head after eating Jareth's peach.

But could Sarah brave the harsh elements of a desert? She had no supplies and there was no cover if she needed to hide. "But no one will expect you to go to the desert." She realised. The choice was made and calling out an encouragement to her own feet, Sarah bounded down the hill.

The desert was not what Sarah had expected. Rather than being extremely hot, she found herself shivering. If there had been clouds in the sky, she would have sworn that she was in for a snowstorm. But Sarah did not let that deter her. Things were not what they seemed in the Labyrinth.

She did, however, begin to worry that perhaps she was running in circles. The landscape was flat and unending. She passed no rocks, plants, or landmarkers of any kind. An abyss of sand stretched before her and behind her. At least she knew she was not being followed for she could see no pursuit and her feet were scarcely making marks in the sand. "What if I can't make it out of this desert?" Sarah wondered aloud. She would have stopped to consider things, except that it was too cold.

"Oh bother, now I am losing it. I feel like I am getting warmer." She realised. It was not long before she started seeing a mirage of an oasis. "Great, now I am hallucinating." She lamented. "But I thought mirages were caused by the heat or something."

Refusing to be fooled by the image, Sarah plodded towards it as though she was not descending down the bank of an oasis. "Besides, it should be frozen." She muttered to herself.

Splash.

Sarah felt her foot descend into the warm water. She leapt back, surprised that the pool actually existed. She regretted the action though for the freezing temperatures quickly chilled the heat she had felt upon entering the pool. She put her foot back in and watched as the previously still water rippled outward.

"What are you doing!" A shrill voice broke the silence that had accompanied Sarah into this wasteland.

Sarah leapt back fearing that one of Jareth's minions had found her. But no one had followed her. The voice had come from the center of the pool where a dozen faeries were emerging. "You are not permitted to set foot in our pool." They raged.

"Be gone servant of the Goblin King." Another cried.

"But I am not one of Jareth's minions!" Sarah protested.

"It doesn't matter." A faerie buzzed in her face trying to get her to move one.

"I just need a drink." Sarah told it. "Then I will leave you alone."

"But you cannot drink from the Faerie Pool!" Another faerie fluttered in her face. She felt the sharp pain as a faerie bit her finger.

Sarah grew tired of their harassment and so she stubbornly cried out, "And why not?"

"You know why you cannot Goblin Woman. You will lose your immortality."

"I am not a Goblin!" Sarah snapped. "And I am not immortal. I am just a human needing water."

The faeries all ceased their assaults. "How did you get here?"

"The Faerie Queen brought me to the Underground and then Jareth sent his Goblin Men after me and I have been fleeing them."

"Nerissa sent you?" The faeries pondered. "Why would she do that?"

"The Goblin Men will not come here." Another faerie remarked. "They know the dangers the water presents."

All Sarah cared about though was the drink of water. She had been wandering for an interminable time. "Will the water affect me?"

"To humans it is just normal water."

Sarah did not wait for another second, she knelt down and brought handfuls of the warm water to her lips. Not only was the water nourishing but it warmed her through like soup on a chilly afternoon. She drank for many minutes before she no longer felt her thirst. "Where do I go from here?" She asked them, still kneeling on the bank.

"How should we know?" They replied.

"Well I suppose I need to get to the labyrinth so I can get to the castle and rescue the children. Can you point me in the right direction?"

"Only if you make a wish."

"Oh right, I forgot you were faeries." Sarah smiled at her own foolishness. "In that case, I wish that you would take me right to the castle!"

The faeries looked around at each other, a naughty smile crossing each of their diminutive faces. "So be it." They decided.

Sarah felt a rush of wind as she was transported to the castle. There was a popping sound as though a bubble had burst and Sarah dropped.

She landed on the Goblin King's throne, right on Jareth's lap.


	7. The Gift

**The usual disclaimer... I don't own the characters, places, or words. I just arranged them.**

* * *

What Jareth had been doing before his little gift appeared, he could not recall. It took both he and the girl a moment to realise what had happened. His surprise melted into glee as he recognized the lithe form resting on him. Adding to his pleasure was the expression of fear that paled her face when she became alert to their proximity. He sat unmoving as she tilted her face up to his. Oh, how he savoured that moment.

The Goblin King spread his arms and couched his head on his hands inviting her to get comfortable as well. "Sarah," he breathed her sweet name; all was as it should have been in the first place... well, not everything. She was still under Nerissa's power. But he would rectify that soon enough.

At the sound of her name, Sarah found the strength to move again. She leapt from her perch atop the Goblin King's lap and fled to the other end of the room.

"Curse those faeries." She muttered, never letting her eyes leave the fearsome Goblin King. Not that the faeries were wholly to blame, she should have known by now that she could leave no variables unmentioned when making a wish.

"The faeries sent you?" Jareth pondered that tidbit. "I suppose that is Nerissa's way of apologizing. Though if she thinks I will forget her insolence, she is sorely mistaken."

Now that the Goblin King knew where she was, Sarah had to abandon her plans regarding stealth. Yet the confrontation with the king gave her surprising boldness. She straightened her back and even dared to take a step forward, "What have you done with the children?" She demanded in a regal tone.

She knew how to play this out; had she not done this before? Her kingdom was as great as his was, or so the book had said; though she could not imagine what her kingdom was exactly.

"You know exactly what I have done." The Goblin King rose from his throne as he spoke.

"I want them back."

Jareth clucked his tongue in disapproval. "They were never yours to begin with."

"Well, you did not give the others a chance to win them back. I demand that right." Sarah remained firm though Jareth began to close the distance between them.

"Who says I have to give anyone the opportunity to win back their children? What's said is said."

Sarah opened her mouth to snap back a reply but she felt faint. He stood too close for her comfort so she stepped back. He took an equivalent step forward, maintaining his proximity. Again, she moved away from him, but she stumbled on a pile of rubbish the goblins had left when they had vacated the throne room. In her attempts to regain balance she took several quick steps backwards and then her back flattened against the wall.

Jareth wondered if this would be the moment. Surely, she knew. How could he have been more obvious? The words were written in the book. In fact, it should have been plain to her from the start.

"I w-w-want the children back." Sarah stuttered. "You must give them to m-m-me." She could hardly believe how warm it was; she felt desperate for air.

Jareth stepped closer to her. "Why Sarah? Why must I?"

She looked into his eyes, refusing to be cowed by their menace. But as she did, the words from the _Labyrinth_ book came to mind: But what no one knew was that the king of the goblins had fallen in love with the girl and he had given her certain powers.

Her eyes shot to the ground and her face rouged. What was he thinking? Why did he come so close? Was he just trying to frighten her or...? The ruddy hue of her face darkened. Surely, he did not think she was pretty; surely, he was not attracted to her. Surely, the words were more of his manipulations.

_Oh bother, _she thought. _How did I manage to look him in the eyes before? I even danced with him! What was he thinking then? _

Jareth watched the increasing brightness of Sarah's cheeks. It thrilled him that he was the source of such a reaction.

_You can't think about what he's thinking. _She scolded herself. _Remember the children. Remember sweet little Keira. _

Gritting her teeth, Sarah bolstered the courage to face him once more and to demand the release of the children. She closed her eyes and moved her head up ready to out-glare the Goblin King.

Her lashes parted and she found that Jareth had moved right in front of her. Their noses were almost touching. He leaned on a hand that rested on the wall behind her as he had done in the tunnels before sending the cleaners after her. Oh, she wished he would do the same now. Anything to get away from him!

This was the moment; Jareth could sense it. He had Sarah exactly where he wanted her. She was nervous and would likely leap at any opportunity to be free of his near-embrace. He leaned forward until his lips hovered right next to her ear. She cringed but her own pride refused to allow her to squirm away. "There is only one way you can rescue the children." He whispered into her ear.

He moved back slightly so he could catch her eyes. The corners of his lips turned upward as he spoke, "You must come back under _my_ power."

Sarah was ready to scream her denial; he could see it in her eyes. Yet she had learned a measure of patience for she silenced her own fury. Rather she recited her response, "You have no power over me."

The words jolted through Jareth as though he had been struck by lightning. He could not be certain if the pain was real or just a vivid memory of the first time Sarah had wielded them against him. He did not, however, let her see the agony those words caused in him; rather, he responded, "Exactly my point. You have been brought to the Underground under the power of another. To rescue the children you must deny the other and return to me. That is the only way you can affect my domain."

"Not likely," Sarah shook her head. "I will find a way. You can count on it."

The Goblin King's ensuing smile brought a chill to Sarah's spine. "There is no other way." He assured her. To finalize the point he turned on his heel and returned to his lounging position on the throne.

Sarah watched as his hand groped into his own shirt and then pulled forth a small bell. The Goblin King inclined his head toward her and then shook the bell thrice.

The tinkling sound was somehow more ominous than Ludo's cries (before she had known Ludo was a gentle beast).

Attempting to quell the fear and the curiosity as to what the bell did, Sarah asked one more question, a question that set the Goblin King on fire, though he never would have expected such a passionate response to arise from within himself.

"And what would you do with me if I came under your power? Turn me into a goblin?"

Bile rose in Jareth's throat. He thought she had understood! How could she say something so vile? How could she think that he would even consider turning her into one of his puny minions? Not Sarah. How could she not understand? She knew the words by heart.

"Never." He solemnly swore. "I would never do that to you."

"Something worse then?" Her mouth opened and it was evident that she had more to say but her voice was drowned out by the sound of marching feet.

Few generals and other military officials in the Overworld would have considered the goblin army coordinated enough to be a fighting force, but they suited Jareth. The doors in the throne room burst open as the goblins, suited for battle, trammeled in to the room.

"The girl-who-rescued-the-baby!" The goblins squealed as they recognized Sarah.

Attempting to hide his disappointment in Sarah's accusations, Jareth made an effort to appear even more lackadaisical than usual before addressing his army. "Yes the girl fell right in my lap." His own pun made the Goblin King chuckle though none of the goblins understood his reference. "Well, laugh!" He demanded of them and they obliged. Goblins are always ready to release poisonous sounds.

"Submit to me and come under my power Sarah." He requested when the laughter had died.

"No." She bit back.

"It is the only way."

"I will find another way." She insisted.

"Remember that with each passing moment, the children transform. It will not be long before they forget their origins."

"I _will_ find a way." She promised him.

He had seen that look before; it was time to get serious. "Unfortunately I cannot let you do that. Seize her."

Several of the goblins leapt into action, but they were hindered by the inactivity of others. Chicken feathers flew and goblins fell over as they scrambled to get a single set of shackles on Sarah's wrists.

It was not as though Sarah was just going to let them restrain her either. With a firm push, she shoved aside the first goblin that neared her. He bowled over the others who had come alongside him. She reached for a club from one of the goblins and used it to bash the helmets of other goblins. But attempting to escape the goblins was like fleeing from a decimated anthill. No matter how many she shrugged off, still more came.

Escape was her only option but the goblins seemed to be pouring in from all the exits. Sarah ducked from a goblin who had been thrown towards her by her companions. She pivoted as another of the goblin missiles was thrown at her. Then she spotted it: the only door not swarming with goblins. She pushed passed the armoured goblins that had encircled her and bolted for that door. With a mighty heave she pulled it open and then dashed through.

On the other side of the door was a narrow bridge. Sarah halted herself just in time to avoid flying off into the chasm that the bridge passed over. Her arms fluttered in circles as she attempted to regain her balance, having stopped so near the edge. Her gaze went down, down, down and still she could not find the bottom of the pit. Behind her, the goblin army spilled into the platform before the bridge.

"You have nowhere to go." One of the goblins called out.

"That's the bridge to nowhere." Another added.

Sarah glanced from the bridge to the army. The bridge was about four inches wide and she had never been confident in her balance. Then again, the king was moving towards her, parting the waves of goblins to reach her. The thought of having to endure his company any further was too dreadful. If on there was something she could do to escape the situation. If only she could call on someone...

"Faerie Queen, Faerie Queen!" Sarah realised she did have a saviour she could call on. "Oh, any faerie, please come grant me a wish."

Jareth reached the frontlines of his army and chuckled at Sarah's misguided pleas. "She's not coming." Jareth mocked. He would have staked his castle on that wager. Nerissa would be hiding until his wrath subsided.

Sarah realised she had no time to wait and see of Jareth's prediction was correct. She spun on her heel and then scrambled onto the narrow bridge.


	8. Horrible

**The usual disclaimer... I don't own the characters, places, or words. I just arranged them.**

* * *

Not a single goblin followed Sarah. There was no reason to. The king and his subjects merely watched as Sarah plodded forward. She reached a certain distance and then, though she was moving, she made no progress forward. She was on the bridge to nowhere and it went exactly where its name declared it was going. She could walk for eternity and never make any more progress.

"Remain here until she returns. When she comes back pleading for my help, take her to the throne room and keep her there. I think it is about time she starts having to wait on me rather than I on her." Jareth instructed the goblins. Then he returned to the castle, oblivious to the noise of the gathered goblins. Surely only the king of the goblins himself could be comfortable in the racket, for it was nauseatingly cacophonic even to Sarah who was a fair distance from the army.

Since he planned to have Sarah held in the throne room, Jareth could not go there to rest. He climbed the stairs leading to the Escher room and then following his gravity-defying path, he made his way to his private chambers.

As he travelled to his room, he recollected his conversation with Sarah. Replaying their words in his mind he grew more and more frustrated. _How could Sarah be so blind? _He wondered to himself. How did she not know that he thought her worth was far greater than the sum of the Goblin Men? Why would he want her to become one of them? He already had plenty of them. They but were fish whereas she was a net. He could have hundreds of them but without a net, he could not catch more. How could he make her understand... without her realising that though he had no power over her, she had power over him?

Of course, the power she had only existed according to his own whim. He could easily discard her and choose another to be his envoy in the Overworld. Already Sarah had awakened others and he could just as easily choose one of them. Surely, those spoiled boys would do his bidding if he came before them and offered them their dreams.

But no, he wanted it to be Sarah. That she presented an inkling of a challenge would only make his victory sweeter.

The question remained, however, as how he would convince Sarah to abandon Nerissa and come under his power. Unfortunately, as she was now, his magic over her was severely limited. He could not transport her anywhere nor could he manipulate the labyrinth using his magic. Just as the faeries could only bite and scratch Sarah when she came to the Labyrinth under his power, so he could only cause physical inconveniences while she was under Nerissa's power.

As it was, the Goblin King had not yet even considered that he had something to fear with Sarah treading to nowhere.

* * *

The goblins found their king sprawled out on his massive bed. "Your highness!" they squealed.

"What is it?" Jareth asked calmly, not even bothering to incline his head towards them.

"The girl..."

"What about her?"

"She jumped."

"She what?"

"She jumped off the bridge to nowhere."

Jareth leapt to his feet and grabbed the goblin by his collar, hauling up to eye level with the goblin. "Do you know what this means? That chasm empties over the whole labyrinth. She could be anywhere!"

* * *

It had taken Sarah an embarrassingly long time to realise that she was not getting anywhere after she fled the goblins via the bridge to nowhere. The bridge presented itself as ever onward and though she was quite certain she was moving forward, she never got anywhere. "There's no turns or corners or anything!" she whined. It was just like the labyrinth except that she was not likely to learn that she had missed an opening - the bridge had no sides.

Turning around, Sarah wondered why she heard no pursuit. To her dismay, she saw all the goblins waiting not far from her present position. They knew something she did not, of that she was sure. They had no reason to pursue her for she had nowhere to go except back to them. And it would not be long before she would have to. She had done alright keeping her balance when she felt the rush of adrenaline after being chased, but now that she was not being pressured to move forth she felt her stability waning. How long until she fell?

"Maybe I should just jump." She told herself. "It would be better than returning to the Goblin King to have him gloat over me." The idea definitely had possibilities. The last time she had fallen into a chasm helping hands had slowed her descent. What if the same was true of this abyss? She stopped moving forward and turned her feet so they ran in a direction perpendicular to the bridge. Then leaning over she looked down into the chasm.

Yes, she would hazard the abyss rather than confront the Goblin King. She flashed a confident smirk to the goblins and then leapt off the bridge.

* * *

"Find her! Find her now!" Jareth raged.

"But how?" The goblins queried.

"Follow her. Jump the bridge."

The ever loyal, though increasingly stupid goblins hastened to jump off the cliff.

One or two stopped though and asked their king another question. A particularly bright, at least by goblin standards, soldier asked, "But what if we don't end up where she is?"

"I don't care. She must be found. She is still cloaked by Nerissa's power. She could be anywhere. We need her. Now go, I don't care if that abyss spits you out into the bog!"

So one by one the goblins threw themselves off the bridge to nowhere, each landing in a unique location. Not a single one landed near another.

It was not long before the futility of his hasty plan had the Goblin King regretting his decision. Before the last goblins had the opportunity to dive off the bridge he had a change of orders. "Stop." He told them. "Bring me the dwarf."

* * *

As Sarah fell, she felt magic entomb her in a crystal not unlike those wielded by the Goblin King. Her heart sank as she realised he had captured her again. She had not had enough time to decipher how to rescue the children, let alone herself.

Several dreadful moments passed as Sarah's descent continued. _Any minute now and I'll crash unceremoniously at the Goblin King's feet, _she thought to herself. But the anticipated eruption did not occur. Rather she glanced down and saw that she was hurtling down towards a funnel shaped tunnel. The walls closed around her until there were mere centimeters between her barrier and them.

Sarah screeched as the tunnel suddenly curved to the left. Just as she regained her bearings, it turned to the right. Then it curved to the left again as if it was following a snaking pattern down. Just as Sarah was beginning to acclimate to the rapid contortions of her descent, the tunnel ended and she was descending into an abyss again. Only this time it was not an open abyss; directly below her was an obstacle.

Sarah crumpled into the fetal position to protect herself from impact. The spherical barrier hit the obstacle but rather than splattering Sarah onto it, the obstacle cushioned her fall and then thrust her back up into the air. A moment of relief was met by a renewal of terror as Sarah witnessed the next obstacle she was aimed to collide with. Like the first, it cushioned her and then threw her into the air.

"AAAAaaaaAAAAaaaaAAAA!" She screamed as the pattern of being thrown affected the volume of her voice.

Moments passed and the thoroughly dizzy Sarah witnessed several other bubble-shaped objects, each carrying goblins. "Oh no, oh no, oh no!" She squealed as one of the goblin bubbles bounced towards her. The goblin was squealing something too as their spheres collided and then bounced off each other.

_It's like a pinball machine! _Sarah realised as another of the paddle shaped obstacles thrust her in the air. Goblins kept filtering into the pinball arena and it soon became quite crowded.

Then one of the goblin bubbles sent her ricocheting off a paddle at a peculiar angle. Her sphere entered a tunnel and sent her out of the pinball arena.

The next thing Sarah knew, she was flattened on the ground in the hedge maze. Not that she had crashed though; the bubble had descending quite smoothly. But it seemed her body had not been prepared to handle the speed, curves, or bouncing. Sarah had no choice but to lay on the stone path waiting for the labyrinth to stop spinning.

* * *

As goblins were thrust over the Labyrinth by the pinball arena in the abyss under the Bridge to Nowhere, Hoggle was recalled from his post outside the Labyrinth to wait on his majesty.

Jareth lounged on his throne as the dwarf was thrust into the room by a dozen or so goblins. Hoggle turned to glare at them and then brushed himself off as though he had not noticed the Goblin King sprawled on his throne. The look of surprise on the dwarf's face confirmed Jareth's suspicions that the dwarf had not seen him. "Your highness?" Hoggle's voice fluctuated with a combination of cowardice and questioning as it usually did when speaking to Jareth.

Rising from his throne, Jareth sauntered over to the dwarf and lowered himself to Hoggle's eye level. Speaking in an unusually sweet manner he addressed the dwarf, "Horrible, I need to talk to you."

"Hoggle." Hoggle corrected.

Jareth cleared his throat attempting to be patient at the correction. The dwarf was part of the Labyrinth and thereby one of Jareth's subjects. He would be Horrible if the Goblin King so decreed it. "Right, well, Hodgepodge, I need you to find someone."

"Hoggle."

The second correction of Hoggle's name, ended Jareth's attempt at cordial conversation. "The girl is back and I want to know where she is headed." He demanded.

"Pardon?"

"The girl, the one you call your _friend_," saying the word made Jareth burst into laughter. Sarah certainly knew how to manipulate his subjects to get what she wanted; this poor fool actually believed she wanted his companionship. "She is back in the Underground and I want to know where she is headed."

Hoggle gaped at that. Why was Sarah back? What was Jareth planning to do to her? And most importantly, how would he get out of this situation without betraying Sarah or being harmed by Jareth? "Why is Sarah back in the Labyrinth?" He asked.

"She thinks she can rescue all the wished away children." Again, Jareth found himself laughing at the futility of it all. There was _no_ way of doing that. Once thirteen hours had passed, which it had, there was no way of converting the new Goblin Men to their original selves.

Feeling overly raw at Jareth's perpetual amusement at Hoggle's and Sarah's expense, Hoggle straightened his back to face the Goblin King. Though he was a self proclaimed coward and was rarely one for courage, Sarah had a way of inspiring the trait in him. "How should I know where she is? I've been outside the Labyrinth." He snapped.

It was evident to the Goblin King that the dwarf was hiding something though. "You know where she is heading." Jareth insisted. "And you will tell me or you will be suspended head first into the bog."

Hoggle stepped back in fear and opened his mouth to speak, but his jaw clamped shut as he remembered Sarah. How often had Jareth threatened him with the bog? How many times had he been bullied by the childish king? "I know no such thing." He insisted. "I have been doing exactly as you said: keeping the faeries out of the Labyrinth."

"You lie to me." Jareth accused.

"What are you going to do? Dunk me in the bog?" Hoggle gambled. "Maybe I want you to; then you would never call on me again!"

"You will do as I tell you!" Jareth insisted. He gritted his teeth. Why did things concerning Sarah always have to be so complicated? But no matter, he was a better manipulator than she was. If fear would not work on this servant, then Jareth would resort to a different method. A patent predatory grin spread across Jareth's features. If the dwarf had hoped for some incentive to reveal information, Jareth was not going to give it to him. He had other ways of extracting the information of Sarah's destination from the horrid little being.


	9. An Intruder

**The usual disclaimer... I don't own the characters, places, or words. I just arranged them.**

* * *

Though she was glad to be out of the Goblin King's castle, Sarah had no idea where to go. Did she try sneaking back into the castle to see if she could find the children? Or should she find some of her friends? Sir Didymus was likely defending the bog's bridge and maybe Hoggle would be outside the Labyrinth like he had been when she first came to the Underground.

Another idea occurred to her and she called out, "Faerie Queen!" Though she doubted it would work, Sarah had to try anyways. After all, this time she was outside of the castle beyond the goblin city; perhaps that is what had barred Nerissa from coming to her call.

But no one answered Sarah. "I suppose I really am on my own." Sarah shrugged.

"To the outside of the Labyrinth," she decided, "to find Hoggle and ask one of the faeries for help."

It was not that simple though. Sarah had to find her way back out of the Labyrinth: the exact opposite goal she had had when she last wandered the maze. She figured she recollected her current location, but it was not like the Labyrinth would be the same as it was before. After all, the passages had frequently opened and closed as she went through them.

Her memory, however, would prove more than sufficient. The Goblin King could not change the Labyrinth to react to her if he was blind to her location. Nor could he open trap doors or bar her access to areas as she was under Nerissa's power.

"Don't fail me now feet." She encouraged herself as she set off in what she perceived to be the direction of the Labyrinth's exit.

Nevertheless it was not long before her first obstacle. "Sarah!" A familiar voice echoed through the maze. "Help me Sarah!"

"Hoggle!" Sarah cried as she recognized the voice. "I'm coming Hoggle!" Sprinting down a corridor that she hoped would lead to her friend, Sarah did not even consider the oddity that Hoggle knew she was back in the Labyrinth.

"Sarah! Help me please!" Hoggle continued to shout.

"I'm coming, I'm coming!" Sarah shouted after him.

Now she recognized where she was, it was not far from here that she had first met Ludo. The similarity could not be overlooked and Sarah dreaded what she would find. Sure enough as rounded the corner that allowed her a vantage of where she had found Ludo being tortured by goblins, she found Hoggle similarly suspended. This time, however, the goblins had heard her cries of rescue and were waiting for her.

"It's the girl-who-upset-the-king!" They cried in unison as she came to a rapid halt.

"After her!" They cried.

Not sure whether to leave her friend alone or to dash to safety from the cavalry of armed goblins, Sarah stumbled to the ground.

"Help me please!" Hoggle chimed over the patter of the goblin's mounts.

Realising there was nothing she could do to fend off the goblins, Sarah had no choice but to flee. She pushed off from the ground like a sprinter and re-entered the hedge maze. Rather than following it though, she turned a corner and then threw herself into the foliage.

Normally such a move would not have been possible, but Sarah was not bound to the Labyrinth's magic. She fought her way into the hedge despite the scratching and tearing of her flesh. Her hair and garments caught on the branches but she continued to snap twigs and duck under obstacles as she made her way through. She stilled only when the goblins neared. Her arms were suspended, her hair strewn behind her, and her body looked as though she had tousled with an army of cats but Sarah did not even fidget.

The goblins turned the corner and halted. Something was suspicious and even their dimwitted brains could understand it. The girl should have been visible for the next stretch of the maze was a long corridor.

"Where'd she go?" One asked.

"Maybe she went back." Another answered.

"How could she go back? We were right behind her."

"Maybe she went forward."

"Of course she went forward."

"Then why did we stop."

The goblins exchanged looks of confusion until one of them shouted, "Charge!"

Then bounding off in the direction Sarah should have gone, they resumed their chase. Sarah breathed a sigh of relief. She could see a gaping hole in the hedge where she had pushed herself through; that the goblins had not seen it was a miracle. Yet she did not move yet, nor would she until the clamour of their charge was but an echo through the maze.

Eventually the sound of the goblin search party dimmed enough that Sarah was confident she could return to Hoggle. Just as Sarah had pulled herself out of the hedge, she felt her hair catch on a branch. She turned her head to pull her long hair free and was shocked at what she saw. There was not a single branch out of place; it was as though she had not broken through the hedge and cleared herself a path. Taking a moment to consider the implications of her invisible hiding place, Sarah wondered how many secrets lurked behind the Labyrinth's trappings. How many other places were there hidden behind walls and in chasms that were not visible from the Labyrinth?

"Sarah!" Hoggle's frenzied call stole her reverie.

Luckily the goblins were not clever enough at strategy to leave a guard behind so Sarah had not trouble when she returned to her upside down friend.

"Sarah get me down from here." Hoggle whined in the half-angry half-fearful tone that consistently characterized his conversations.

As she had done with Lugo, Sarah helped Hoggle down from his suspension.

Hoggle did not offer her thanks, but he did embrace her legs. "Oh Hoggle! I am so glad to see you." Sarah said as she stooped down to give him a real hug. She did not kiss him though, fearful that one of Jareth's old enchantments might still be in effect.

Abruptly Hoggle leapt back. "You need to go Sarah. Go right now."

"But Hoggle, where are we going?"

"I'm not going with you. The Goblin King is watching me. You need to go before he sees you."

"What do you mean Hoggle?"

"He can't find you and he used me to trap you. So go now!"

"But I don't know where to go."

"Go back to the Overworld the way you came here." Hoggle instructed.

"But I need to rescue the children." Sarah countered.

"Well you cannot do anything to help them. Save yourself."

"No." Sarah jutted out her chin in defiance. "There has to be a way."

Hoggle's eyes misted over despite himself. "Please Sarah. Go home. For both our sakes, go home."

"I won't let him hurt you anymore." She decided. "Stay with me and I'll rescue you with the children."

Hoggle shook his head. It just did not work that way. How did he explain that to an Overworlder though? He was of the Labyrinth and Jareth _was _the Labyrinth. And as she was now, Sarah was nothing but an intruder in the Labyrinth. Hoggle was not magically sensitive, but even he could sense something different about her. She had come to the Labyrinth by the invitation of someone other than the Goblin King and that meant she did not belong here. There was only one thing Hoggle could do – he shoved Sarah forward and then bolted off in the opposite direction.

Sarah was shocked by the violence of her cowardly friend but when she turned to confront him she saw the truth of his statement. The Goblin King had been watching Hoggle and now that she had made an appearance, he had come.


	10. Jealous

**The usual disclaimer... I don't own the characters, places, or words. I just arranged them.**

* * *

Acting purely on instinct, Sarah dove into one of the hedges again. Perhaps the magic that had protected her from the goblin's sight would do the same against their king.

"Your majesty," Hoggle squirmed.

Jareth flashed Hoggle a look of conquest before turning to regard Sarah. He had been so clever using the dwarf as bait. "You thought you could escape me." He chided as he slowly turned to face her. But when he had turned around she was not there, Jareth completed the rotation and by the time he had faced Hoggle again his face depicted not conquest but fury. Hoggle contemplated fleeing, but he could not outrun the king anyways. "She was here a minute ago. Where did she go?" He demanded.

"Where did who go?" Hoggle asked innocently.

"The girl! Your bosom companion. Where. Did. She. Go."

Hoggle shook his head. In truth, he had no idea where Sarah had went. One minute she was behind the Goblin King, the next she had vanished.

"Well, I know where she is not." Hoggle reported. "She is _not _outside the Labyrinth gates making her way to the palace of whomever sent her to the Underworld."

Jareth frowned at the dwarf.

"She's not entering the tunnel which leads to the gnome kingdom, or climbing the tree which is the entrance to the sylph kingdom, and she's definitely not entering the pool I like to urinate in which leads to the faerie kingdom."

"You idiot!" Jareth fumed. "What do you think you are doing?"

"You asked me where Sarah was." Hoggle replied in a disrespectful manner. "I do not know where she is, so I am telling you where she is not."

Jareth clenched and unclenched his fists. What was he going to do with this dwarf who had so obviously been corrupted? Did he dare leave the rodent and chance that he would help Sarah? The last time the dwarf had sworn he was obeying Jareth he had guided the girl right to the castle! No, he would not risk it. Wherever Sarah was, she would not receive help from any of her old friends. He would find them all and lock them up in the dungeons. He was not going to risk her having help from his subjects again; if she wanted help, she would have to get it from him.

With a snap of his fingers, the Goblin King disappeared with Hoggle, leaving a bewildered Sarah. It was clear to her, that Hoggle had intended a message for her. He wanted her to return to the faerie kingdom and since she had nothing else to go on, she figured finding the Faerie Queen might straighten things up.

* * *

Sarah found the Labyrinth remarkably easy to traverse now that she was not visible to the Goblin King. None of the passages turned to dead ends or changed direction; in fact, now that she was not under the Goblin King's power, the Labyrinth seemed like an ordinary maze. Well it was ordinary, except for the roaming goblin patrols.

There was a cheery smile on Sarah's face as she pushed open the Labyrinth entrance. This was going to be a piece of cake. She jogged over to the pool where she had first meet Hoggle and though there were no faeries about, she knew this is where he had meant her to go.

Her foot hovered above the water, ready to plunge into the pool but remembering Hoggle's comment about urination she paused to cringe.

"I would not do that if I were you." A silky voice whispered from behind her.

"Curses," Sarah muttered as she spun to face the Goblin King. "I thought it was too easy."

It was so frustrating how he managed to always appear at ease – as though he knew exactly what would happen. With his cape and hair fluttering in the breeze he cast such an imposing figure that Sarah doubted her own conviction. Was this where she needed to go or where he wanted her to go?

"You cannot escape me Sarah."

"I can and I will." She insisted. "I already did so twice today."

Jareth's brows rose as he responded, "Did you now?" He gestured to himself as if to imply, then why am I here?

Sarah scowled. Did he know where she was all along? Or was he just fooling her? She had to stop letting him get into her mind. Without responding Sarah spun back around to the pool allowing and stepped forward.

"Stop." Jareth grasped her arm and turned her towards him. His grip was gentle but firm, like it had been when they were dancing. For a moment, Sarah allowed her mind to drift into her old fantasies of dancing with the handsome king, of being his desire. She allowed him to guide her away from the water, expecting him to take her into his arms.

Her eyes shut as the Goblin King pulled her from the pool. The inherent vulnerability of her situation sent a chill up his spine. Had she just tilted her head towards him? Jareth did nothing for a moment, just looked at her.

And then her eyes opened and reality crashed down. Frustrated at her own weakness, Sarah's face hardened. She ducked under the Goblin King's extended arm and stomped towards the pool.

"I cannot protect you as you are now." He called out.

Sarah's foot planted on the ground and she pivoted towards him. Protect her? He'd done nothing but try to harm her. Her mouth opened to formulate a reply but she deemed it not worth the energy. She did not even bother to turn around, just stepped backwards into the pool so that Jareth's parting view of her was one of fury.

As Sarah disappeared into the pool, entering the faerie domain, Jareth could not help but feel unsettled. He could not pin down the exact sensation he was feeling; it was something he was not accustomed to. Defeat? Well this was not over so he had no reason to feel defeated. Rejection? The mortal world had rejected him the whole past century so that was not unusual. Regret? Why should he feel regret? Everything was still going as he had expected. Yet it was regret that he was feeling. But why?

* * *

If one imagined a place that was the antipode of the Labyrinth, they would not be far off from imagining Nerissa's domain. While Jareth's kingdom was a maze of twisting confusing passages, the faeries resided on a landscape of luscious rolling hills. There were no artificial constructs and almost no noises to be heard, aside from the occasional twittering of songbirds. But even their songs were scarce in the hushed domain.

Sarah had never felt more uncomfortable in her life. Like it or not, the Labyrinth had been more akin to her preferences. The fact that she felt such a kinship with the Labyrinth only fueled the frustration she had felt from her weakness around Jareth.

"Faerie Queen!" She shouted impatiently. She needed to find the Faerie Queen to straighten this out. She needed to rescue the children quickly, before she did anything else foolish. "Faerie Queen!" She called all the louder. "Faerie Queen! Faerie Queen! Faerie Queen! You will come to me now."

"Quiet you." An irritated faerie snapped as she fluttered toward Sarah. "You have no right being here... you..." The faerie blinked with consternation. "You are a mortal!" the faerie gasped.

"I need to see the Faerie Queen right now." Sarah insisted.

"You cannot see the lady." The faerie insisted. "She does not wish to be disturbed."

"Well, I do not grant wishes. Now take me to her."

Maybe it was the firmness of Sarah's demeanour or the fact that a human had not entered the Faerie Kingdom in centuries, but the faerie silently obliged. Or so Sarah hoped. The winged being fluttered in a straight path towards one of the grassy hill and Sarah had to run to keep pace.

The faerie led Sarah to a pool on the other side of the grassy hill. Finding its epicenter, the faerie flew in concentric circles until it descended into the pool. Diving into the water, Sarah followed the faerie. When she neared the middle of the pool, she dove below the surface. The water was murky though it had seemed clear when she entered it. Still Sarah swam as deep as she could.

Her lungs began to burn and she was nearing the point where she would have to turn around lest she run out of oxygen. _One more stroke_, she told herself.

Her arms extended outward but they caused no movement. She was no longer in the pool. Like Jareth had led her to her parent's bedroom window to reveal the Labyrinth, so the pool had become the Faerie Queen's palace.

Sarah was in awe at the majesty of the place. Fountains of water crossed over the walkway before her. The walls were streaming waterfalls. Torches of blue flames lit the room. She walked for minutes before the end of the room even became visible. The sounds of trickling, falling, dropping water lulled Sarah into a dreamlike reverie.

Her pace slowed; she was no longer willing to rush out of the chamber. There was true peace here. Her feet stopped responding as Sarah neared the edge of the walkway. How soothing would it be to dip her feet in the water pooling there? How sweet would it taste if she drank it?

Sarah knelt down peering into the water. Everything was so tranquil. She could sit here forever and never feel a moment of regret.

* * *

"What do you think you are doing?" Jareth addressed the Faerie Queen.

Nerissa was lounging in her chamber, peering into a pool that displayed Sarah's image. "I thought I told you never to come here."

Jareth stepped over to the Faerie Queen's side. "Give her to me and I will never bother you again."

"We did give her to you. She was placed right in your lap."

"But she was still under your power."

Nerissa rolled over to face him. Her bottom lip protruded in a pout, "Is the Goblin King jealous of me? I have your prize and there is nothing you can do about it. She will never succumb to your manipulations and you can do nothing to sever her connection to me.

"Did you think I was a fool Goblin King? Did you think I would truly cower before you?

"You revealed your weakness long before you requested my aid - in your own sick, twisted way you love the girl. Why else would you let her run your Labyrinth? Why else would you throw a masque and flaunt yourself like a peacock? I saw you, dancing and flirting with your wretched Goblin Women to raise the ire of the girl. How pleased you must have been when she accepted your hand.

"You sang her words promising eternity and when she fled you justified your actions as being a method of distracting her from rescuing the child. But they were merely a justification."

Before Nerissa could say another word, Jareth snapped, "Silence."

"You have no power over me Goblin King and you have no power over her. She has rejected your offers and spurned you. And now she is in my vaults, where she will remain until the life has left her pitiful body.

"Did you think I would forgive you for that nasty trick you played on Aeria? One of my faeries is dead and now I will take someone precious from you and there is nothing, absolutely nothing, you can do about it."


	11. Her Kingdom

**The usual disclaimer... I don't own the characters, places, or words. I just arranged them.**

* * *

"Come," Nerissa gestured for Jareth to be seated beside her. "Watch as your precious girl drinks from the water. One sip will send her into blissful fantasies. She will drink again and her fantasies will become nightmares. On her third sip, her mind will reveal such horrors that she will wish for death. And then she will throw herself into the pool and drown herself to end the agony that rips apart her mind."

Jareth leapt forward, hands extended for Nerissa's neck. She flicked her wrist and sent him flying across the room. "You cannot touch me in my own domain." She chided. "Now be a good boy and watch the show I have so carefully orchestrated for you."

* * *

"So peaceful." Sarah murmured to herself. Her hand plunged into the water causing ripples to form along its surface. She cupped the liquid in her hand and raised it to her lips. It was sweet and quite unlike anything she had ever tasted.

* * *

What was the Goblin King to do except watch? Nerissa was right; he could not harm her here. Magic did not work that way. He would seek vengeance, both of them knew that, but for now, there was nothing to do but stare into the pool and watch as Sarah killed herself.

Nerissa blew on the water displaying Sarah's likeness. The pool split so that half of it reflected Sarah's image while the other half depicted her hallucination.

In the hallucination reflection, Sarah was garbed in a white gown. Jareth silently congratulated himself for giving Sarah a more attractive dress in his own hallucination trap.

The similarity of Jareth and Nerissa's methods was not surprising; creatures who gained power by granting wishes thrived on unhinged reality. Guiding a subject to a state of detached reality only strengthened the wish-granter.

Sarah's mouth gaped as she considered herself. It would take a moment for her to find her place within the hallucination, but Nerissa's magic would have selected a fantasy that Sarah would have given anything to become reality. Even if she began to realise her present circumstances were too good to be true, she would opt to forgo her doubts because this place was exactly what she wanted.

There was a mirror on the wall near Sarah and upon sighting it, she hastened toward it. Her eyes blinked in surprise at the sight of herself in the mirror. Her hands raced to her hair, touching it as if to ensure the reflection was really hers. Up her hands went, feeling the jewelled tiara that had so artfully been wound in her hair.

Something startled her and so Sarah spun around. A man knelt behind her; he bowed his head when she turned. His lips formed the words, "Your majesty," and again Sarah's mouth gaped.

"You gave her a kingdom?" Jareth scoffed.

"I gave her what she longs for." Nerissa retorted. "Unlike the little fantasy you orchestrated for her, I have done no tampering whatsoever. A perfect trap."

Jareth did not respond as the man opened a door for Sarah. He knew where it would lead – a ballroom. Jareth involuntarily took a step forward. The where did not matter to him, but the _who_ did.

When Sarah entered the ballroom, its occupants, previously engaged in frivolities, ceased their actions to pay their respect. Sarah turned a deep shade of crimson at their attention and admiration. No doubt, they were whispering, though not quietly, their admiration of her beauty and grace. Not that she did not deserve it; she suited the prestige and glamour of her fantasy role. Though Jareth and Nerissa could hear nothing of it, he knew how her magic would play out.

Her deepest longing and desires would be fulfilled – every insecurity would be addressed and made inconsequential. She would be the princess she had so often play-acted as, only now she would have a prince charming to play along with her.

Again, Jareth found himself moving nearer the pool; if he were not the proud and confident Goblin King he would have thought that he was nervous.

"It will not be long," Nerissa smiled. "She has already acclimated to the illusion without any trace of doubt."

Jareth's eyes drifted to the other half of the pool, the half depicting the real Sarah who gazed longingly at the magical water. Her hand was cupped and ready to draw a second drink; Nerissa was right, it would not be long.

In the hallucination, Sarah wandered amidst her people. They had resumed their dancing, feasting, and socializing. Young women rallied to her and offered sweet words, young men gallantly offered their arms, and old men bowed in respect. She was practically glowing with their adoration, but she did not linger with any of them. Her eyes searched the crowd as though there was someone she wished to find.

Then her eyes caught sight of him.

On the other side of the pool, the real Sarah scooped a handful of water.

Jareth and Nerissa leaned in close to their viewing pool. Sarah drew near to the man, to her prince.

Jareth's breath caught in his throat. Who would it be?

Hallucination-Sarah extended her arm to tap the man on his shoulder but, as if sensing her presence, he turned before the contact could be made.

Jareth hid his rejoicing behind a menacing chuckle for the man whom Sarah had sought, the man garbed as her prince, was none other than himself. She had not given up her infatuation with him though she had masked it so well.

Not wanting to allow the Goblin King a moment of elation, Nerissa turned to face him. "Bitter sweet, is it not?" She, like he, also hid her reaction to Sarah's choice of prince charming. Venom leaked from her lips as she turned the moment of Jareth's rejoicing into something to despair, "It will be her fantasy of _you_ that will drive her to take the second sip. Then her sweet fantasy will turn dark and you will be the tormenter who causes her such anguish that she would rather drown herself than persevere."

Jareth's eyes flicked to the real Sarah. The water was at her lips, ready to be consumed. _Don't_, he silently willed her.

The Jareth prince charming held out his hand to his Sarah requesting a dance. She allowed him to lead her to the center of the dance floor and then, like they had done at the goblin masque, they danced.

Nerissa watched as Jareth's face hardened. He reached for his hands as though remembering her touch, wishing that it was he not his phantom dancing with her.

The real Sarah had her lips pressed against the magic water.

Then Jareth's eyebrow cocked and his lip twitched. Nerissa studied his expression, not willing to miss a moment of his torment_. He must be masking his despair_, she decided.

In the hallucination, Sarah's eyes widened. It felt too familiar to her and she knew something was wrong. She glanced from side to side, as she had done then. Then she pushed away from him and sprinted to the outskirts of the festivities. The people stopped to gawk as Sarah found the edge of the room. A stream of water fell from above, and instinctively Sarah plunged through it in her attempt to escape.

The splitting of the pool's images faded. Only the real Sarah remained in the waters.

Her fingers opened, draining the pooled water. She leapt to her feet and charged to the end of the chamber. She threw open the doors and suddenly she was in the room with Jareth and Nerissa.

Nerissa leapt to her feet. "Impossible!" She shrieked. "You are supposed to die."

Jareth wore the look of conquest that should have been displayed on Sarah's furious face. He stepped out of her way, allowing the girl direct access to the Faerie Queen.

Sarah did not even glance at Jareth as she stormed towards the Faerie Queen. "You have no power over me!" She screamed.

The world spun and contorted as Sarah returned to the Overworld. Nerissa screamed in pain and frustration. The tentacles of her power that had so tightly embraced Sarah were now ripped from their hold; Nerissa had never felt such agony.

She must have blacked out for the next thing Nerissa knew, the Goblin King was standing over her triumphantly. "You should have known that that fantasy would not work."

"This isn't over Goblin King." She swore.

His only remark was laughter that echoed around her even after he had disappeared.


	12. The Law

**The usual disclaimer... I don't own the characters, places, or words. I just arranged them.**

* * *

Winston sat perched in the windowsill. He had sat there for three days with his chin resting on his hands. His parents thought it sweet, thinking he was looking for his lost sister. They had not even required him to go to school; in truth, his mother wanted him within arm's reach. As far as they knew, the kidnapper had broken into the neighbour's home and stolen the girl from the second floor. Neither of Winston's parents wanted him away from their protection. Winston, however, knew differently. He sat peering at Sarah's window, waiting for her to reveal herself.

* * *

In the heart of the Underground, the Goblin King also waited upon Sarah. She would not abandon the children, not until she saw that they had already become his. It would not be long, he knew, before she would call on him again. This time he would appear before her; this time he would accept her surrender.

* * *

Adrenaline had coursed through Sarah when she had confronted the Faerie Queen. Dismissing Nerissa had not been Sarah's plan; she had gone to the faerie for instruction. But being reminded of the fantasy that Sarah had been attempting to suppress had unhinged her. It had not even occurred to Sarah that Nerissa was trying to kill her until the Faerie Queen had said so.

Though victorious over her new nemesis, Sarah felt defeated. She was back in her bedroom, where she had started this venture. She did not have the children and as far as she knew, the only way to get back to the Underground was to ask the murderous Nerissa or the manipulative Jareth.

A cloak of despair fell on Sarah. Her shoulders stooped and her energy vanished. She felt her stomach groaning – how long had it been since she had ate? Though Sarah determined to find comestibles, she found herself curled up on her blankets. She attempted to rise once, but could not make herself stretch out her legs. What was the point? She had lost. She was not going to be able to rescue the kids. Jareth had won. With dark thoughts circulating her exhausted mind, Sarah fell into a deep sleep.

Meanwhile, her sentries, the bleary-eyed Winston and the indomitable Goblin King waited and watched.

* * *

When Sarah awoke, her head was heavy with exhaustion. Though she had slept the night through, she felt not a bit refreshed. She puzzled over why she had fell asleep on her blankets, still dressed. Her mind remained half-unconscious as she rose and changed her clothes.

"The children," she murmured as her memory began to function.

She slid on a new pair of jeans; ones not stained by Labyrinthian mud and selected a shirt not torn by hedge mazes. The blouse she selected was black, the one she had worn to her grandmother's funeral. It suited her mood. She was, after all, going to have to succumb to the Goblin King.

"Where to meet him?" She pondered. She glanced around her room and thought it too embarrassingly childish. That was a lesson she had learned during her first escapade in the Labyrinth. Returning home after rescuing Toby, she had thought her decor a mite bit foolish; now, though, she felt the weight of the toys and costumes. She would not bring the Goblin King here where he would mock her. She needed to be respected so he would agree to a trade: her for the children.

Sarah sauntered to her window and looked out to the world already plummeting forward in its unending march.

It was too overwhelming.

She might never see this sight again. Sarah fled to her bed and curled up as she had done the night before. Hot tears burned down her face and sighs rocked her frame.

Sarah allowed herself five minutes of grieving, then she rose and tiptoed down the stairs. She was likely still grounded and so needed to sneak out of her home.

Sarah quietly closed the front door and leapt in surprise to see Winston standing before her. His arms circled her in an embrace; the gesture was thoroughly surprising, but Sarah accepted it without comment.

"I have watched for you for four days." He told her. "I knew you would come back."

"I do not have your sister." Sarah replied instantly.

If Winston was disappointed by her proclamation, he hid it well. "We'll find a way." He told her. "I'm just glad to see you."

"Wait, did you say four days?" Sarah gaped. Last time she had been in the Labyrinth for thirteen hours, but only a few hours had passed in the Overworld. "So that is what he meant by saying he reordered time for me... I guess that means people think I am missing too."

"Yup."

Deciding it was best to remain missing, Sarah led Winston to a more secluded area between foliage and an old fence. "I found a way to rescue them." She told him once they had left the public view. "The Goblin King kept insisting that if I came back to the Underground under his power I might have the option of rescuing the children. I am going to offer myself to him in exchange for the children."

Winston grabbed her hand. "What? No. You cannot do that."

"I have to." Sarah told him. "I am not going to let those children's lives be ruined because I blabbed about the Goblin King to you."

"But I'm the one who sent Keira away and told my friends about the book."

Sarah shook her head. "It's my fault. I wished Toby away and no one should have to suffer from my mistake." Sarah reached into her pocket and withdrew the _Labyrinth _book she had transferred from her old jeans to her current ones. "But first, we need to destroy this."

Winston snatched it from her hands and sprinted a few paces away. "No, I will not let you do it."

"Winston! Give it back." Sarah called after him.

He glanced down to the book that had once been such a comfort to Sarah. It did not seem right that she would pay the price for his mistake, no matter her fault for enlightening him about the goblin world. "Wait," he held out his hand to stop Sarah who came charging after him. "Maybe there's something in here that we can use."

Sarah's nose crinkled in an expression of confusion. Yet, within her heart, a glimmer of hope flickered to life.

"The book reads differently to me." He reminded her. "You may have the poem or play or whatever it is that it reveals itself to you as, but for me it is basically a goblin law book."

Sarah retreated to her concealment. Could it be true that Winston would find an escape for her? "Is there some way to escape the from the Goblin King's power once you submit to it?"

Winston shrugged as he joined Sarah in their hiding place. He opened the book to its table of contents. "I don't remember there being anything pertinent about the Goblin King." He reminded her. "Maybe in here," he mumbled to himself as he flipped to the chapter that seemed relevant.

Scanning the headings, Winston searched for a relevant passage. "Oh no," he despaired, "Listen to this: Once a child is wished away, it becomes one of the Goblin Men – creatures of human form but goblin mind. After thirteen hours, the transformation is complete and even if the children return to the human world their mind remains as that of a goblin."

"I know, I know." Sarah groaned. "Jareth keeps saying that. But it cannot be true. There has to be some way to cure the Goblin Men."

"Some sort of healing spell would be nice. Wash them clean or something."

Sarah's eyes widened. "That's it."

"What?"

"Nevermind, I cannot say it aloud. Oh, but I need to find a way to get back from the Underground."

"Well," Winston shrugged, "It's obvious isn't it?"

Sarah frowned to inform him that no, it was not obvious.

"The goblins," Winston reminded her. "They can travel between the worlds."

"Brilliant."

"Do you think you can use one to go back to the Labyrinth?" Winston asked hopefully. "Then you would not have to call on the Goblin King."

Sarah considered that option, but it never really sank in as a possibility. Instinctively her eyes rose to the top branches of the largest tree in the neighbourhood. Perched in it was a familiar owl. "No, he won't let me do that. He wants me to surrender to him personally."

Winston resumed his search for information in the _Labyrinth_ book. "There's nothing in here relating to the Goblin King's power." He concluded.

"Well, keep looking." She encouraged though she had taken to pacing. Perhaps there was no way for her to be free. Surely, the right words would not work again. Would she abandon the children if there was no hope for her? Sarah shook her head, this was her mess and she was going to face the consequences. "I am going after you sister." She declared.

"But what if I find something, how will I tell you?"

"When the goblin comes bearing your sister, you pass the message through him." She instructed. "Oh, and make sure it's in a water proof, fire proof... well, just send it in the most indestructible container you can. You never know with goblins..."

Sarah was about to leave when she remembered one last detail: "Whatever you do, do not call on the faeries. They're evil."

"Oh," Winston's face rouged. Did he dare tell Sarah he had called on one? No, it was best left unsaid. "I'll be ready." He promised.

Sarah nodded her thanks, but left her doubts unsaid. Nothing Winston found in the goblin law would be useful. She knew that there was no hope for her. The Goblin King would make sure of it.


	13. Minion

**The usual disclaimer... I don't own the characters, places, or words. I just arranged them.**

* * *

Jareth followed Sarah to her favorite refuge – the park. She walked slowly, mournfully. No doubt, she thought this would be her last venture there.

She had been scheming, but it was for naught. She was about to become his forever. There was no escape for Sarah. His cry of triumph drowned out the noises of the Overworld. Sarah glanced up at his circling form, knowing that her defeat was at hand.

All that remained was to decide how dastardly he should appear. Waiting for her summons so that he could take his human form in the Overworld, the Goblin King perched on a high branch watching his prey.

Sarah dawdled on the bridge, watching her reflection. She sighed and then glanced all around her as though memorizing the location. Returning to her reflection, she attempted to find a measure of confidence. Jareth nearly lost his patience waiting for her mournful ritual to end.

A tear slid down her cheek and upon sighting it, Sarah's face hardened. She plucked the droplet with the side of her hand and flung it to the ground. "Curse you," she muttered hatefully as she dragged herself to the center of the field where she had re-enacted the_ Labyrinth_ play's final scene – the confrontation – so many times.

"Goblin King," she whispered tearfully. When he did not immediately appear before her, she said it louder. "Goblin King."

Jareth frowned; this was not how it was supposed to be. She was supposed to demand his presence and then verbally spar until she realised the inevitability and succumbed to him. Nevertheless, Jareth spiraled down to her and became his usual self.

Her cheeks were puffy from crying and the eyes that met his were so heartbreaking that Jareth could not even manage his usual smirk. He had to restrain his hand from reaching out to her in a gesture of comfort. Was this the moment of triumph he had anticipated?

"I have come to make a deal with you." She breathed mournfully.

This was not his Sarah. She was useless to him as she was now. How could he get her back to herself?

"I will trade my freedom for the children." She offered.

"I cannot give them to you." Jareth responded hesitantly because he did not know how this broken Sarah would respond. The normal Sarah would have pressed and found a way to rescue them, but this person seemed not to have the energy.

_Hope_. Jareth remembered. Humans always need hope. Without it they are worse than dead. He had so thoroughly entrapped her that she had no glimmer of hope left. But what could he do? It was not as if he was going to let her go or even make it seem like she had the opportunity to be free. How could he fix her?

For a long moment, neither said anything. Jareth found it difficult to maintain his proud posture under the scrutiny of such saddened eyes. Again, the urge to reach out and offer to make everything better, to offer Sarah her dreams and all his love and obedience, nearly overcame his sensibilities.

It was Sarah who broke the silence, "I want a goblin then."

Jareth blinked. Did she think she could turn one of his creatures against him and rescue the children? "Very well," he agreed, "If you agree to come under my power, I will give you a goblin to do your bidding." _Why not_, he thought,_ I will give her one of my most loyal servants. One who will not be tricked by her wiles. Then we shall see what comes of her attempts to free the children._

Sarah nodded her approval and then asked, "Do I need to make a wish?"

Jareth sucked in his breath; this was the crux of his entire plan. He had agreed to her simple demand, but she had not shown that spark of life he had come to love. Had he offered her enough that she would not reject him now? Fear of rejection had convinced him to avoid her last time she had summoned him only days previously. Did he dare ask now when she was so far from herself? Had he offered her enough hope? There was only one way to find out. "No, a wish will not do." Jareth extended his arm toward her with his palm facing up. "You need to place yourself in my control."

Sarah swallowed as she stared at his proffered hand. It was almost too natural the way her hand reached out to grasp his.

He pulled her close, as she knew he would, and then the dance began. They moved in harmony; she followed his unspoken commands to move hither and thither. Then they were whirling and Sarah lost herself in the movement.

The first time she had come under her power she had foolishly made a wish. Now it was with a dance that he stole her freedom. Did he know about her fantasy in Nerissa's chamber? Not that it mattered; this was not what she had dreamed of – dancing her freedom away.

Jareth raised her hand and set her about in a dizzying spin. When the revolution had ceased she was no longer in the park.

He reluctantly let go of her hand and moved away from her. "Welcome home," he gestured to her new chambers.

Sarah's mouth gaped as she looked around. They were the same chambers as those she had dreamed in Nerissa's vault. He had seen her fantasies. He had seen the dance.

Her face rouged and the embarrassment gave her back some of her passion. "Now what?" She frowned.

"Ant!" Jareth called out in a voice that was magically projected over the whole Labyrinth.

"Coming, coming, coming," a squeaky voice echoed down the hall.

The door burst open and a familiar goblin tumbled to a halt. His feet slipped from under himself and sent him flying to the Goblin King's feet. His helmet flew off and tapped against Jareth's toe. The Goblin King kicked it aside and then stepped forward to rest his foot on Ant's tiny chest. "The girl requested a goblin minion; I am giving you to her. Do whatever she tells you."

"Yeee-eees sir" the Goblin stuttered. He could not decide if the assignment was something to be proud of or a punishment.

"Good," Jareth removed his foot from Ant's chest. "Now that that business is completed, I will be going." As the words left his mouth, the Goblin King vanished.

"Uhhhh..." Ant groaned both for the sake of his confusion and to unleash poisonous sounds.

"I am wondering the same thing," Sarah agreed. "What does he want with me?"

"You save the king." Ant told her. "You remember him to the humans."

"Well, so did Winston." Sarah shook her head.

"Ughhh, annoying boy not good enough for the king." Ant shuddered at the thought of Winston being Jareth's envoy in the Overworld. "You conquered Goblin City and danced with the king. You more worthy."

"Then why has he trapped me here?"

"You not trapped. Door is open. You can leave."

"But we're in the Underground right? How do I get back to the Overworld if I am supposed to be his 'envoy' there?"

"He take you." Ant assured her. "Or he tell Ant to take you."

"You could take me to the Overworld?" Sarah snorted in derision. "I've seen lots of goblins and you are a pipsqueak. There's no way you could take me."

"Yes I could," Ant puffed up his chest. "Ant small but Ant clever."

"Prove it."

"Fine!" The little creature strutted over to Sarah and grabbed her by the highest point of her that he could reach - her shoelaces. "I take you to Overworld... hey, wait. You try to trick Ant! But Ant too clever. Not take you to Overworld unless Jareth ask me to."

"But you are supposed to do what I say." Sarah insisted.

"Not without king's permission." The fiercely loyal goblin remained firm.

"I'll tell Jareth that you disobeyed me."

"And he will reward me."

"Drat," Sarah kicked her foot forward. "Well, it was worth a try."

"Ha ha! Ant more clever than girl-who-defeated-king."

"Fetch me something to eat." Sarah flicked her wrist telling him to be off.

This command Ant could not resist. His teeth ground together at the interruption to his self-congratulation but he had no choice but to dash off.

"I want real food." Sarah called after him fearful that a live chicken might be fetched.

As soon as her minion was gone, she ducked out of the room anxious to be away from the place that so pointedly reminded her that she still dreamt of the Goblin King. With soft footsteps, she began to creep around the castle. It did not take her long, however, to change the manner of her search for she decided that if this was her new home that she had a right to wander its corridors as loudly as she wished.

* * *

Jareth watched Sarah through a seeing crystal. She was back to her old tricks, though not nearly as energetically as previously. He determined that she had not been wholly broken and decided to be contented with the quieting of her rebellion. She was, after all, his now. He owned her. Every lock of hair on her head, every crease on her forehead, and every smile that played across her lips was his.

* * *

Sarah opened one door and found herself amidst a chicken coup. She instantly shut that door and moved on.

The next door she opened seemed to be an armory. She was hesitant to call it such though for every suit within was no more than eight centimeters high.

She passed by the abandoned goblin bathing room, a closet filled with nothing but leather gloves, and the fully occupied goblin dining hall.

One room, however, she entered. She would never have guessed to find one in Jareth's castle, but between the upside down room, where all the furnishings were bolted to the ceiling and the light fixtures attached to the floor, and the indoor hedge maze, Sarah found a library.

Her mouth gaped as she took in the thousands of books Jareth had collected. They were all different sizes, shapes, and colours. Sarah reached for one and glanced at the cover, _Goblin Lore for the Slow of Wit_, it read. She flipped it open and to her surprise, found that it was hand written. Every page was detailed with a beautiful sprawling script. Replacing the book, she grabbed another further down the line. This one read, _The Epic of Jareth the Goblin-Master_. Sarah cringed and shoved it back on the shelf. Continuing further into the room, she found a lone table and chair. Curious, she drew nearer and reached for the book that perched on the table.

The book had been faced down, as though it had recently been completed and left satisfactorily on the table to be reread again. Unlike the others on the shelf, it had a satiny exterior so that it was soothing to the touch. Flipping over the book, she read the title with a gasp: _The Labyrinth Play, for Sarah. _

She opened the book and found the words which she had so carefully memorized years before. All were written in the same beautiful script as the other books.

Instinctively she replaced the book, hoping he would not know she had found it. "Enjoying my library?" A velvety voice echoed in the silence.

Sarah knew not how to respond. It was entirely feasible, in her mind, for him to magically create a book but she had not expected the Goblin King to be one who actually participated in the art of literature. "Did you write these?" She asked to sate her curiosity.

Jareth looked across the dozens of rows of shelves before fixing his eyes on Sarah. "All of them."

"And this one?" She held up the book bearing her name.

Jareth nodded.

"Why?" She asked, "Why would tell me the words to defeat you?"

Jareth's eyes drifted from her. He had often wondered the same thing. "I suppose, I never considered that you would use them."

"You expected me to stay?" Sarah exclaimed.

Jareth seemed almost hurt at her words. "What human has ever refused an offer to have their dreams filled? I did exactly as you wanted me to. I was everything you wanted me to be."

"But how could I leave Toby and my family?"

"You would not have been the first to have left family and friends for the pursuit of pleasure."

His words stung in ways that he likely did not understand. Had not Sarah's own mother done the same? Abandoning her family to seduce a theatre co-star and live "the good life." Even worse, Sarah realised that she had admired her mother and scorned her father despite his faithfulness. "I'm not like that," she assured him. "At least, not anymore."

"I know," Jareth responded in an equally assuring tone.

"So whatever you have planned for me, to be your messenger in the Overworld or whatever, I won't help you."

"I know."

"Then what do you want from me!" Sarah screamed in frustration.

_Your love_, he wanted to reply. But she would never understand that so he merely smiled and allowed her frustration to grow.

She thrust the book down on the table and stormed past him. "Keep your secrets Goblin King. I will do everything I can to oppose you."

"I know."

Sarah slammed the door behind her.


	14. Never Again

**The usual disclaimer... I don't own the characters, places, or words. I just arranged them.**

* * *

An alarm went off in Jareth's head and he knew that Nerissa was in his castle somewhere. The Goblin King shut his eyes and located her; she needed to be dealt with immediately. He could not have Nerissa around with Sarah wandering the castle.

She greeted the Goblin King when he materialized in his bedroom. "Do not bother telling me that you wish me gone, we have too oft said such things."

"They are words I will never tire of saying." He responded. "Tell me why I shouldn't kill you."

"You can't." Nerissa reminded him. "The whole Underground would be at war with you for killing a monarch."

"Perhaps they wish to be rid of you as well and would overlook the deed."

"More likely they would cherish the opportunity to be rid of you, Goblin King. But now we have wasted precious conversation exchanging murderous words so let us be on with it. I want the girl and I know you have her. She was supposed to die in my vault and so she must. She has slain one of my immortal faeries and must pay for her crime."

"If you touch her, you will surely die." Jareth threatened.

Nerissa refused to cower though. She held herself with dignity as she faced the furious Goblin King. "You involved me in this affair, Goblin King. You requested my aid."

At once Jareth stopped. "Why are you here?" He searched his mind for a motivation. Why would Nerissa have come?

* * *

Sarah stomped her feet in agitation as she made her way back to her quarters. The Goblin King was absolutely infuriating. How had she missed it before? He was a flirt, a fiend, and a farce all in one. No longer was she dazed by the question of why he had chosen her, now she wondered why he had to persist in pestering her. She ripped open the door to her chambers.

Then the faeries descended. From every nook within the room, a faerie appeared. Sarah screamed, knowing that their queen was seeking revenge. She reached for something to battle them with, but found her rather dainty room had no blunt objects to bat the faeries away.

The swarmed her like bees protecting their hive, biting her flesh and slashing her clothes. Sarah screamed in agony as thousands of small wounds shredded her skin. She flailed her limbs to shake them off, but it was all in vain. They grabbed hold of her and refused to be displaced.

"For the Faerie Queen," they roared in triumph as the small creatures united to lift Sarah off the ground. They could not use their magic on her, just as Jareth's magic had not worked when she was captive to Nerissa's power. Some flew ahead and opened the window as Sarah was carried toward it.

"Let me down," she pleaded.

"For the Queen," the faeries roared again as they carried Sarah out the open window. They had no intention of carrying her further however, for beneath Sarah's window was a chasm. The Goblin King, realising Sarah's proclivity for leaping in and out of windows had taken precautions to ensure she would do no such thing. Now his efforts would serve as Sarah's demise.

The faeries released her and she plummeted down.

* * *

A jingle in her ears told Nerissa that the deed was done. The feeling of power that surged through the Faerie Queen was ecstatic. She had never felt so drunk on control. "To hell with the rest of the Underground," she triumphed. "I want you dead too."

By now, Jareth had guessed that Sarah was endangered and he had entirely forgotten Nerissa in his search for Sarah. She was not in her room or anywhere else in his castle. A panic spread through him and caused his blood to boil. He did not even notice Nerissa striding toward him.

She extended her arm toward him and called upon her magic when she did so. A blade appeared in her hand and it pierced the Goblin King, digging deep into his side. She withdrew the sword and the Goblin King toppled to his knees still staring blankly ahead. He fell forward, his hand grasping at his chest as if to feel his final heart beats. Nerissa's sword towered above his neck, readied for the killing blow.

"And so you pay for all your evil, Goblin King." Nerissa trumpeted.

A bell tinkled softy and it caused Nerissa to pause for a mere second. Jareth replaced the instrument into his pocket as the doors burst open and his army descended into the room.

Goblin armies are not known for their promptness or their organization, but upon seeing their king bent forward in a most humble posture the goblins cried out in distress. When the sight and scent of his royal blood was noted, the goblins lost themselves in their fury. But unlike most creatures, whose battle lust results in wild and uncontrollable attacks, the goblins unify and find focus when they lose their selves.

Dozens of goblin blades hacked towards Nerissa. Other goblins surrounded their king, and placed themselves as shields should Nerissa attempt a strike. From above, goblins shot darts and, from below, they prodded with swords.

Nerissa was forced to drop her sword and assume her diminutive form to flee the hoard of angry goblins. "I still have victory," she called as she retreated. "The girl is dead... dropped from a window by my minions."

The goblins chased after the Faerie Queen, but as soon as she was free of their immediate grasp, she materialized out of the castle.

Those who remained with the Goblin King sounded a call for healers. The wisemen who had learned such arts were hurried to the king's side.

The goblins gently grasped their king and moved him to his throne, despite the perfectly good bed behind him, for it did not seem right to them that he should be anywhere but there. "I am fine." He groaned. "Find the girl. Find her."

The goblins, however, would not leave the king until the wisemen had come and their hats insisted that they be left alone with the king.

All the while Jareth searched his mind for Sarah. But his efforts were in vain for he would not be able to find her until his wounds were mended and by then it would be too late.

* * *

Sarah screamed as the faeries released her. Down to the rocky crags of the cavern below, she plummeted. "Jareth!" She cried out for help. "Save me!"

She passed one set of windows, marking the floor beneath her own. Then another. And another. "Jareth help me!" She pleaded.

But it was no use. The faeries had been too quick. And no doubt, Nerissa had entangled the Goblin King somehow. Sarah was going to die, without even having rescued the children.

"Oh no you don't," a perturbed voice called out after her. It was not the Goblin King's voice, but rather her diminutive minion who had returned with food. He leapt from the window and angled himself so he descended more swiftly than she. She felt him land on her back just as they were mere meters above the ground. His tiny hands grasped her and then they were no longer falling.

"You thought you could escape Ant by leaping out the window. But I watch you." The goblin scolded as he jumped from her back onto the ground of Jareth's throne room.

"Thank you, thank you," Sarah cried as she grabbed the small goblin and kissed him.

"Let me go!" He insisted and Sarah obliged. She stood, despite the pain of thousands of faerie bites and scratches, to face the throne. To her surprise, Jareth was reclined on it with his eyes closed and his torso exposed. Several hooded figures tended him.

"Be gone," a familiarly fatigued voice intoned.

Sarah recognized the speaker as the wiseman she had met during her first venture to the Underground.

"Don't be so hasty." The wiseman's hat, a bird-like creature that nested on his head, scolded. "Did you even look at her?"

"I do not have the time." The wiseman argued as he adjusted the bandages on the king's wound.

"She's worse than the king. Definitely worse."

"Oh alright." The wiseman succumbed to his hat's suggestion. He turned, in his exceptionally lethargic way, to face Sarah.

"See what I mean." His hat remarked. "Definitely looking worse."

"Yes, yes! I heard you the first time."

"Then you should have listened the first time."

"Oh, will you be quiet!"

"I'm fine." Sarah interrupted. "Just a little scratched."

"Fine you will not remain, if the king remains as he is." The wiseman said.

"What do you mean?" Sarah asked. "Did the Faerie Queen do something to him too?"

"She put a sword in him." The wiseman's hat replied.

"Is he going to die?"

"No." The wiseman replied, with a glare to his hat. "It is far worse than that."

"Much worse." The hat emphasized.

The wiseman continued despite the interruption. "Unless the king is whole, his magic will disappear."

"Very bad." The hat nodded.

"Does that mean I will be free?" Sarah smiled.

"Free as a bird." The hat replied.

"And the children, they will be normal?" Sarah continued. Perhaps the visit from Nerissa was more fortuitous than she would ever have anticipated.

"No!" The wiseman cautioned.

"They choose to be like goblins." The hat explained. "No magic involved."

"So all I have to do is to persuade them to be human again?" Sarah asked hopefully.

"Have you ever tried to change a goblin's mind?" The hat asked.

Sarah looked over at the sleeping Jareth and knew immediately that she could not persuade the goblin children.

"This is not a good thing!" The wiseman scolded Sarah when her smile refused to abate. "Without the king's magic the Labyrinth will fall apart."

"Not to mention the angry faerie queen will come back." The hat added.

Sarah's lips pressed together as she considered this. "You think she will?"

"Definitely." The hat replied.

The wiseman, who was slower in response, voiced his affirmative, "Without a doubt." Again he looked up to his hat with a frown, but did not scold the bird for speaking on behalf of him.

"Ohhh," Sarah groaned, "What do I have to do?" Though she despised the Goblin King, she could not, in good conscience, allow him to die; even if he had not protected her from the faeries as he had promised. Not to mention that the vengeful Nerissa would probably make Sarah a priority if she started murdering.

"The king must be made whole." The wiseman and the hat said together.

The wiseman shook his head to jostle the hat, causing it, for a moment at least, to be silent. And then he continued, "There is, within the Labyrinth, some who are experts in making the body whole."

"As well as taking it apart," the hat added.

Sarah blinked. She had gotten better at figuring out the riddles of the Labyrinth, but she was out of practice. She repeated their words until she deciphered their meaning. "The fireys..." Sarah groaned as she glared at the still sleeping Goblin King; she could hardly believe she was going to confront the fireys again, let alone doing so on behalf of Jareth. "Do you need all of them, or just one?"

"Just one should do," the hat replied. "But you are going to need all of it."

"Oh, of course." Sarah rolled her eyes. Then, as she had done so many times recently, she stamped her feet down harshly as she trotted out the room. "Never again," she swore as she left the throne room. "Never again."


	15. The Other Door

**The usual disclaimer... I don't own the characters, places, or words. I just arranged them.**

* * *

As soon as the immediate threat to their king's life had disappeared, all the unity and careful planning that the goblins had utilized to save Jareth also vanished. Goblins poured forth from the throne room in search of Sarah, as their wounded king had ordered. So when Sarah exited the throne room she was confronted by the laggards who had not spread out in the castle or wandered to places farther off.

"Found her!" One triumphed.

"Found her!" Another trumpeted.

"Found her!" They rang out like children wanting to prove their own capability at sighting the girl who stood at least twice, if not three times, their height.

So as Sarah begrudgingly ventured out of the throne room she found the Goblins would not let her pass. Rather, they persisted in shoving her towards their king. "I need to save him!" She exclaimed. But no amount of explanation would console the frightened goblins. They would follow their king's order until he told them a different one. Even the wisemen could not persuade the goblins to cease harassing Sarah.

"Ant! Ant!" Sarah called out to her minion. He appeared from beneath the crowd of shoving goblins who still cried out "Found her!"

"What do you want now? A beverage?" The grumpy goblin asked.

"No!" Sarah frowned. "Help me get away. I'm trying to save your king."

Thankfully, Jareth had given her one of the few goblins who could be deemed slightly clever. Unlike the others, he could comprehend the danger to the realm and its ruler. "Oh, alright." He agreed as he tottered towards her. Grabbing her shoe laces again he teleported her out of the castle and into the goblin city.

The new location was worse than the first. With more room around her, Sarah was swarmed by more goblins all crying "Found her! Found her!"

"Take me to the Firey Forest!" Sarah insisted.

Again, Ant grasped her shoelaces and then they were gone.

It was not, however, the Firey Forest that then ended up in. "Where are we?" Sarah asked as she studied their surroundings. One thing was clear, however, they were nowhere near a forest. There were not trees only high brick walls.

Ant's brow creased as he grasped her shoelaces again. He concentrated but his magic would not work. "What you do to my magic?" He fumed.

"What?"

"My magic not work. It your fault."

"Not it's not. Oh! It's because the king is injured. The wiseman said his magic would fail."

It was Ant's turn to gasp, "What?"

"Jareth must have given you the ability to materialize."

"Of course he did. Do you think all goblins can travel to the Overworld, stupid girl?"

"So I guess we have to travel on foot then, until we can heal the king."

"You no understand, do you? If king loses his magic then we in trouble. No magic means this place not exist. In human world, this place buried in rock underground. We die if we lose magic."

Sarah, having never considered that the Underground was quite literally under the ground, was quite startled by this fact. "And with no magic, we can't escape." She realised. "But can't we go to another kingdom or something? Or will they all disappear?"

"Nobody take us." Ant assured her.

"We have to hurry!" Sarah gasped. "Come here, I'll carry you." She suggested.

"Ant faster than you, stupid girl." Her minion snapped.

"I was only trying to help. You don't have to be rude." Sarah replied.

Not willing to offer an apology, Ant sprinted away. "Follow me, stupid girl. We must save king."

They ran through the Labyrinth until a pair of doors blocked their passage. "I know this place." Sarah remarked. They were the very doors she had spoken to on her way to the Firey Forest. Each door bore a knocker shaped as a face that had, on her last venture, been quite loquacious. She was shocked, however, to find that neither door greeted her with chatter. In fact, they did not move at all.

"Hello again." She greeted them. "Hello?"

"It no use." Ant told her. "They have no magic anymore."

Sarah reached out a hand to touch one of their faces. It was true, they were cold and hard like stone. "Oh no."

"No waste more time." Ant insisted. "Must save king."

"Do you think the doors will still open if I knock?"

Ant put his hands on his hips and tapped his foot impatiently. Clearly he disapproved of her inactivity.

"I guess I can't do anything but try." Sarah shrugged as she stepped towards the knocker with the ring in its mouth. She grabbed the ring and lifted it, but before she could pound it down, Ant cried out.

"What you doing? That way lead to death!"

"No," Sarah disagreed. "I went this way last time."

"Ant would let stupid girl die, except she need to save king. Use other door."

"I swear, I used this door." Sarah pressed.

"Then king save girl from being stupid."

Sarah rolled her eyes. "Jareth did not protect me. He tried to throw me in the bog and keep me in an oubliette... oh, and he sent the cleaners after me... and about a hundred other things." Then, with a defiant smirk she pounded the knocker down. As before, the door opened.

Inside the door was not the forest she had anticipated, for it was dark inside. Sarah peered into the gloom hoping to see the outline of trees. Something from within moved. A sliver of light reflected off the eye of the creature hidden within. The eye widened as it spotted Sarah. Sarah swallowed and stepped back. The eye lifted as the creature rose to its full height. There was an intake of breath. Sarah's hands reached for the doorknocker; her hands clasped it as the creature exhaled. Tongues of fire leapt from the dragon's mouth, revealing its true form. Sarah pulled on the door as forcefully as she could – it slammed shut as the flames reached her. So hot was the dragon's breath that she felt her hands, already wounded from the faerie bites, burn where they grasped the knocker.

"The other door!" Ant insisted.

Sarah nodded dumbly. A second blast of fire hit the door and it grew red with heat. Despite the pain in her hands, she pounded down on the second door's knocker. The door opened, leading to the Firey's forest. She and Ant fled into the woods until they were sure they were not being followed.

Pausing to catch her breath, Sarah apologized to Ant.

"You stupid," was his response.

"Regardless, I need your help."

"Ant know."

Sarah shrugged away the creature's arrogance and addressed her problem. "The fire gang, well, they do not exactly like me." Sarah replied. "They sort of want to take my head. You have to go and persuade them to help your king."

"He's your king too." Ant replied.

Sarah opened her mouth to argue, but this was not the time. She needed Ant's help now.

Glad that she had offered not opposition, Ant triumphantly marched away.

"Where are you going?" Sarah called out.

"Stupid girl," Ant muttered as he searched for signs of a firey camp.

* * *

Though Nerissa was not in the habit of lounging on her throne, she found herself nestled there. Normally she considered the lack of productivity afforded by such a hobby to be beneath her – the sort of thing a _goblin_ would do with his time. Yet she was so pleased with her actions, that she felt she deserved the right to exercise her privilege, as queen, to be seated on the most revered seat in the faerie kingdom.

Around her gathered her faerie court. They had come to report their success in throwing the girl out the window, but they were interrupted by the queen's own recounting of their time in the goblin kingdom.

"And, best of all, there have been no repercussions from the other monarchs." Nerissa finished. "They seem not to care. I knew the Goblin King had made enemies of them."

"He will die." One of the faeries realised. "When his magic fails, he will be crushed."

"Precisely," Nerissa chuckled. "A far better death than decapitation... much slower." Allowing the king's impending fate to play out as a fantasy in her mind, Nerissa paused in conversation. The faeries, understanding their queen's mind, giggled with pleasure. When Nerissa regained her surroundings, she addressed them, still grinning. "And how did the girl die?"

"Screaming," the faeries informed her.

"Excellent." Nerissa congratulated them. "That means there is no one to save the king. It will not be long before we are victorious."


	16. Persuasion

**The usual disclaimer... I don't own the characters, places, or words. I just arranged them.**

* * *

The telltale signs of a firey camp, dozens of blazing fires, alerted Sarah that it was time to hide. She distanced herself from her goblin minion by ducking into the shadows away from the campfires.

Ant trod forward with his chest puffed out and the fireys were quick to surround him. Their mocking laughter echoed around them, but more than that, she could not understand. Ant was too far away for her to hear. Sarah crept closer, but even with the added distance, she could not hear the exchange. It did not look promising though. The fireys had begun to lose interest and were beginning to tap their feet in rhythm. It would not be long before they started their song and dance and then there would be no dealing with them.

"Poor Ant," Sarah sympathized. "But we have to get them to help."

Ant was stomping his foot in frustration and the fireys joined him in taping out the beat. This made Ant all the more frustrated and he began to shake his fist. The fireys also mimicked this, thinking it to be a new dance. Sarah realised it was too late; there would be no dealing with them.

"Well, I suppose they do not have to agree to help before we get to the king. Surely Jareth can persuade them otherwise." Sarah vocalized her thoughts. "He certainly knows how to intimidate." A plan formed in her head – a foolish one, she realised. And a predictable one. But what other choice did she have? They were running short of time.

Sarah pushed off the ground and sprinted for the nearest creature. She grasped its head and tucked it under her arm without slowing. Right past the gang she ran.

"Hey!" One of the fireys cried out.

"She's back, man." Another cackled.

"She stole my head again!" The head she grasped called out.

One of the fireys stuck his fingers in his eye sockets and pulled the orbs out. "I see that." He called out as he pointed the eyes towards her.

"Get her!" The head under Sarah's arm chanted.

"Take off her head!" The other fireys declared in their sing-song manner.

The head under Sarah's arm attempted to wriggle away. She tightened her grip on it and attempted to think of anything other than the fate that would await her if the fireys caught up. Surely, they knew where she was headed. If they had taken it down, then she was doomed. Hoggle would not be back to save her.

Meanwhile, Sarah's minion shook his head in disappointment. "Stupid girl..." he insisted.

The sound of his voice, reminded the fireys of his presence. "You know the lady?" They asked.

To Sarah's benefit and Ant's demise, the pursuers stopped their chase and turned to the strange little goblin. All, that is, except the one whose head Sarah held. That firey continued to chase after her. But, as it were, she was safe from it for without its head it had lost its sense of things and ran off in the wrong direction.

Now it was Ant's turn to feel stupid. The goblin found itself surrounded by nonsensical foes. One of the fireys leapt forward to catch him, but Ant was too quick. He leapt up in time to dodge the diving firey. Landing on its head, Ant trampled across the firey's body, fleeing towards Sarah.

"Hey guys. Help me get my head." The head under Sarah's arm called to its companions as she reached the rope that Hoggle had left dangling from the wall above the Firey Forest. She was certain the fireys would appear at any moment and so, knowing she could not climb the wall with the head under her arm she tossed it up as high as she could.

The head landed on top of the wall and Sarah began to climb the rope. She did not make it far though before the thing came bouncing back. "No, no, no!" She exclaimed. "I need you to come with me to save the king." She pleaded.

The lost head did not listen though. Sarah ran after it and captured it again. "Now what do I do?" She exclaimed.

"Let me go." The head insisted. "I'll never go with you willingly."

Sarah grasped the head with both her hands and held it before her. "I need you to."

"I'll take your head lady."

"Oh!" Sarah sighed. "If only I could tie you down or something. Wait, that's it." Sarah grabbed the end of the rope and wrapped it around the head until it was secure. Then tying a knot, she began her ascent. The head snapped at her heels as she raised herself. When she was out of reach, the head called out as loud as it could for its friends to come.

Whatever time Ant had inadvertently bought Sarah now ended. The goblin came thundering after her. Sarah reached the top of the wall and lifted herself over the edge. The feat was far more difficult without Hoggle, not to mention with all her injuries, but she had to succeed and so she did.

Turning around, Sarah grasped the rope and began to pull it up.

"I'm over here," the head summoned the other fireys.

Ant also heard the cry and redirected himself to its calls. Without pausing to think, the little goblin used its momentum to run a few steps up the wall and then shoved off it to grab the ascending head. Grappling onto the things hair, Ant merely had to dodge the other heads being thrown at them as Sarah pulled him to safety. Sarah had the rope and the head up the wall in no time.

She untied the head and tucked it back under her arm. As Ant prepared to lecture her, Sarah familiarized herself with their surroundings. Immediately before her was the trap door leading to the bog; she would make sure she did not step on that again. But the last time she had reached this point she had not realised how close she was to the castle before kissing Hoggle – they were at the far end of the Goblin City.

"Why you steal its head?" Ant began to scold. "I had under control. Now you only have part of firey. You need whole firey."

"I know," Sarah assured him.

She took a deep breath and then to her minion she said, "Get ready to run for the castle." She tightened her grip on the head and then planned her escape route. A roof not far from their current position would be an excellent way to descend from the heights. Assured that her plan would work, Sarah kicked the rope over the edge. It uncoiled as it fell and landed amidst the fireys. She hoped the creatures would figure out its use, unlike the last time she had passed through their territory. Just in case, she called to them. "Bet you can't climb the wall and catch me."

Ant was already running for the castle.

Sarah waited until the first firey grabbed the rope before she began her hasty retreat. Onto the roof, she leapt and down its side, she fell, to land on the street below.

The plan was working perfectly. The fireys chased, calling out their threats as they did so. She was not far from the castle either.

Then chaos struck.

Sarah had forgotten one factor.

"Found her!" A goblin called out from a window in a nearby home.

"Found her!" Another chimed in.

All around Sarah came the cries of "Found her!"

A single goblin attempted to confront her. Sarah grasped the firey's head and used it to knock aside the goblin. "Hey! That hurt lady." The head called out.

"Sorry," Sarah empathized. "But you didn't come with me willingly so I had no choice."

Another goblin attempted to stop her, then another. "Ant help me." Sarah called out.

Whether Ant heard her or not, he did not slow his flight.

From in front of her, goblins barred Sarah's passage. Behind her, the firey's cut off her escape. "The king needs help!" She pleaded with them. "I'm trying to save your king."

"Found her!" The goblins continued to chant.

"Stop that lady!" The fireys sang.

The number of goblins following Sarah finally overwhelmed her and she could go no further. "Take me to the king." She pleaded with them.

"Those were not the king's instructions." One goblin insisted. "He said to find you."

"Why would he ask you to find me if he didn't want me brought to you?" Sarah reasoned.

"Good question." One of the goblins remarked.

Sarah held her breath hoping she had finally persuaded one of Jareth's bizarre citizens to aid her.

"Why would the king want us to find her?" Another goblin asked.

"The Labyrinth." One of them exclaimed.

"Oh right," another agreed. "He wants us to take her to the beginning of the Labyrinth."

"No!" Sarah screamed in defiance. "No!" She had no other words. How could they not see their world was falling apart? She was an outsider and even she could see that their sky was fading, being replaced by thousands of kilograms of solid rock.

"There she is!" The fireys shouted above the goblin hoard.

"Goodbye Lady," the head under Sarah's arm taunted. "You are gonna lose your head."

For the first time, the goblins noticed what it was that Sarah carried under her arm. They peered intently at it.

"Hey!" The head greeted them.

The goblins gasped.

Had Winston read the chapter on goblin fears, the first thing Sarah would have heard of was the fireys. The creatures quite unnerved the goblins. Unlike Ant, these goblins did not have the fortitude to face their fears. One or two of them back away from Sarah. Those who stood around the fringes of the mob were less reserved. The fireys had caught up.

Pandemonium broke out. Goblins raced in all directions to flee the fireys. Fireys broke themselves apart to reach all directions. Sarah held tightly onto the head she had captured as she attempted to wade through the flood of goblins.

"Stupid girl!" Ant began to call out. Sarah's head turned this way and that searching for the one who used her ekename. Ant was crouched in a doorway leading to the servant's quarters in the castle. Sarah redirected herself, aiming for the door. Just as she reached its frame, a goblin tripped her legs. She shoved the head forward and it flew into the castle.

Sarah rose as quickly as she could, but she was nearly trammeled by the chaotic goblins. "Get up stupid girl." Ant cried as he attempted to hold back the firey head. If it re-entered the hoard, Sarah was not certain she could catch it. However, once again Ant proved that he deserved his name for though the head was much larger than he was, he managed to keep it from escaping.

"Ouch!" Sarah exclaimed as a shoe stomped on her head. She grabbed the leg attached to the shoe and pulled it aside. More goblins stumbled over her. It seemed hopeless to stand up and so, on her belly, Sarah crawled. Inside the door, there were fewer goblins to manage. She stood and grappled those who remained attached to her frame. "Get off." She insisted. When they did not listen, she pulled them off and threw them out the door. Ant slammed it behind them.

"Get the head." He commanded.

Sarah did as he said. "Take me to the throne room." She insisted.

"Ant knows." Ant frowned.

"And be quick. The fireys will be following."

"Ant knows!"


	17. Your Queen

**The usual disclaimer... I don't own the characters, places, or words. I just arranged them.**

* * *

"Wake up, oh wake up." Jareth heard Sarah keen. The corner of his mouth turned up at the thought of being awakened to the beautiful sound. He sensed her leaning over him. Deciding to savour the proximity, that would undoubtedly end as soon as his eyes fluttered open, Jareth remained unmoving. He waited until he could sense that her head was right above his.

His lashes parted and laid sight on his love – or rather, the firey head that Sarah held up to his face.

The smirk on Jareth's face melted into a frown. Jareth shoved the thing from his sight. The movement caused pain to rip through his abdomen.

"Hey!" Sarah bemoaned. Once again, she was sent out to retrieve the tumbling head.

"Goodbye lady." The head mocked as it fled across the throne room.

"Not so fast," Sarah called as she grappled its hair again.

"What is that thing doing in my throne room?" Jareth demanded.

"The wisemen said you needed to be made whole and the only ones that can help you are the fireys."

"That's not a firey. That's part of a firey."

"Not for long." Sarah replied.

As the words left her mouth, the fireys reached the throne room doors. The doors pounded once, then twice, and on the third beat the legs, which the fireys had used as battering rams, burst through the doors.

Sarah sprinted towards the throne and ducked behind it.

"Stop this, all of you." Jareth called with all his royal decorum. "I demand an explanation."

"She took my friend's head." One of the fireys pointed to Sarah, who was peeping out from behind Jareth's throne.

Jareth frowned. "And why did she do it?"

"We don't know." The fireys replied.

Ant, who had remained quite unobtrusive, stepped forward. "Ant told them to come to the king. They not listen. Stupid girl grab firey head and lead here."

"You refused to come?" Jareth questioned the fireys.

They looked to each other and did not know how to respond.

"She's not one of us." A clever firey remarked. "How should we know who she was?"

"You fool, she might become your queen." Jareth remarked.

"The queen?" The fireys questioned.

"Stupid girl a queen?" Ant added.

None of their voices, however, were heard above Sarah's. "What did you say?"

Jareth ignored her. "Call the wisemen. Time is running short."

"What did you say!" Sarah insisted.

It all made sense. Sarah understood fully now. The words he'd said, the promises he'd made, and the traps he'd laid. Toby wasn't his goal. Nor would Winston do. Jareth needed a queen, not another king. She had found the book and he had crafted the words to suit her fantasies.

"Ant, take her to her chambers." Jareth ordered the goblin when Sarah refused to retreat. As her minion summoned other goblins to help him in the feat, Jareth plucked the firey head from her hands. "Thank you so much." He smirked. "I'll be seeing you soon... when I'm whole again. I'll be of much more use to you then."

The chilling tone of his remarks caused shivers to run down Sarah's spine. This was no game. This was no fantasy she could control. A malevolent force had captured her and she was in deep trouble unless she found a way to escape it.

Ant did not need to escort Sarah from the throne room; Sarah fled.

"Stupid girl, you go wrong way." Ant scolded as he caught up to her.

"I'm not going to where he wants me to." She insisted. "You don't want me to be your queen, do you?"

"Of courses not, stupid girl."

Sarah allowed herself a moment of relief. She stopped and knelt down so she was as near eye level with the small goblin as she could be. "Then help me escape. Take me to the city of the goblin men and help me find the children."

Ant considered it for a minute, but declined eventually. "King mad at Ant then."

Sarah bit her lip. She had to at least save the children.

She felt hands all around her, grasping and groping at her. Not real hands of course, but the memory of the goblin men grabbing her after she had fled Jareth at the goblin masque. Then she had had to save Toby, now it was the others. Even if it meant she would end up in the garbage heap instead of the comfort of an opulent ball, Sarah would save them. "Help me find the children." She renegotiated. "And then send them home and I will allow you to take me back to the king. He won't forgive me and he won't make me his queen. Not after I have defeated him twice."

If Ant had been wise, rather than only a bit clever, he would have rejected Sarah's offer. But Ant was only a goblin and therefore incapable of wisdom. "This way," he directed her.

Ant went through a door and then sprinted ahead; Sarah attempted to follow him. However, like so many things in the Labyrinth, the room was not as it seemed. It grew progressively smaller as Sarah travelled in it. At first she was forced to hunch as she chased after Ant, then she had to kneel. By the end of it, she was on her stomach, crawling forward on her belly. It was no use though. Even if she reached the end of the hall, she could never fit through the door.

"Ant, I can't get through." Sarah called after her minion.

Ant went through the door anyways.

"Ant!" Sarah called after him. "Come back."

Ant re-emerged holding a crystal sphere.

"One of Jareth's magic bubbles?" Sarah asked.

"He stores them in there." Ant explained. "It only way to get to City of Goblin Men." Without asking permission to use the spell, Ant smashed the bubble on the ground.

It exploded with a puff of smoke.

When the smoke cleared, Sarah was laying on the ground in the street that Nerissa had transported her to only days ago. "How did the magic work?" Sarah asked.

Ant shrugged. "King must be getting better."

"We don't have much time then." Sarah reminded him. She stood up and brushed some of the dust from her pants and blouse. "Where is everybody?"

Ant shrugged. "Not matter. We find kids."

"Alright," Sarah agreed. Ant led her past a row of dilapidated homes in their search and Sarah could not help but comment. "They are worse builders than the goblins."

"All humans stupid." Ant remarked.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah." Sarah rolled her eyes.

They walked in silence for a while as Ant attempted to distinguish the house that held the children.

"Do you even know where you are going." Sarah questioned.

"Ant know it when Ant see it."

"Can you hurry it up? The Goblin King could almost be finished recovering and it will not take him long to realise we did not obey. When he finds out, he won't be pleased. Or he might be. I don't know which would be worse."

A sound, like fluttering, caused Sarah to pause. "Did you hear that?" She asked.

"Quiet." Ant snapped.

Sarah waited another moment but heard nothing more.

"Found it." Ant announced as he sighted the house where the children were kept. The house looked identical to the others except that it was upside down.

"No wonder you said you would be able to spot it. You could have told me." Sarah scolded.

The house rested on the inverted pyramid of its roof. The door was at the top of the wall and so a child would never have been able to reach it to escape. Sarah, however, was no child. She reached up and grasped the knob, then flung the door open. She put her hands on the top of the frame and pulled herself in.

"He he he." A wicked laugh greeted her. Sarah peered down into the roof of the building to see the missing children piled on top of each other. They were a writing mass, with each trying to climb the other. The discarded remains of food the goblin men had tossed them were strewn about.

"I'm going to save you." Sarah promised them.

She looked for a way to help the children out. "Find me a rope." She instructed Ant.

The little goblin disappeared as he searched for the equipment. He returned with a frayed blanket.

"I guess it will have to do," Sarah shrugged. She twisted it until it was like a cord and then dropped an end down to the kids. "Climb up." She told them. The child who was on top, tugged fiercely at the rope as though to pull Sarah in with him. But she was too strong for him. Finding his efforts defeated, the child scrambled up the blanket. The next came bounding up after him. Finally, Winston's sister Keira ascended.

"One of you must be Claude's brother," Sarah addressed the two boys who climbed the rope. "But who is the other?" Neither responded.

The first boy reached the top and attempted to grab the rope from Sarah. "I have it, I'm fine." She assured the child. Then the kid bit her hand. "Ow! What was that for?" He tried again to get the rope to shake loose but did not succeed. He fofeited the venture as the second kid reached the top.

The first kid leapt outside and ran away. "Grab him Ant!" Sarah called after her minion.

Sarah grabbed the wrist of the second kid, fearful that he might also make a break for freedom. "You little brats." She mumbled. "You really are goblin minded... or worse."

Keira got the better of her though. The little girl reached the top of the rope and shoved with all her strength, causing Sarah to fall out the door. She fell, still grasping the second kid. "Ugh," Sarah groaned as she hit the ground unable to cushion herself.

Sarah shook her head in an attempt to reorient herself. Thankfully she had maintained the sensibility to cling to the kid she had already captured. Using her makeshift rope, she tied him up and pulled him along with her. Ant returned a moment later, using his returned magic to materialize the first boy to where Sarah was. She was quick to capture him and tie him to the other end of their rope.

"Now we have to find the girl." Sarah instructed Ant. Ant frowned, in disapproval. "Stupid girl find the goblin child. Ant stay here."

Sarah looked at the diminutive goblin, doubting he could maintain the two children. But as one of them attempted to step on him, Ant materialized all of them atop a nearby roof. Even the goblin kids realised the danger of falling, so they ceased their flailing.

"Fine," Sarah agreed.


	18. Rescue

**The usual disclaimer... I don't own the characters, places, or words. I just arranged them.**

* * *

"Kiera, it's Sarah. I'm here to rescue you. Oh, where did she run off to? There isn't much time."

A noise other than her own footsteps caused Sarah to pause. "Wings?" She attempted to clarify the sound.

Pat-pat-pat.

"That was barefeet on stone." She decided. "Kiera, stop running. Oh, it's no use. How am I supposed to catch this kid? No," Sarah reminded herself, "Not a kid, a goblin-minded kid."

How does one catch a goblin man? There were a few options that Sarah contemplated. "Keira get back here right now or I will tip you into the Bog of Eternal stench!" Sarah shouted. She felt sick with herself for sinking to _his _level, but desperate times called for desperate needs... right?

It did not work anyways. Keira remained out of sight except when she appeared for a moment to hurl a stone at Sarah.

"Fine!" Sarah shouted. "Be that way. I'll just... I'll just find you myself. And then you'll be sorry. Oh yes you will. I've been granted power you know. One day I might be your queen!" Sarah's hand slapped over her mouth. "I can't believe I just said that. I take it back." She called out to anyone who was listening. "I won't. Not ever." Sarah's face burned with a crimson hue. At first, it was embarrassment that coloured her, but it quickly turned to anger.

Her own spite gave her a goblin-like mindset and immediately Sarah knew how she could catch the goblin child. "Keira, I know where you can find Winston. You remember Winston, right? Your big brother who you used to call Winnie."

Keira's head popped out as she considered Sarah. "It's working," Sarah mumbled to herself.

"Come with me," Sarah told the girl, "and you can thank him for wishing you away. Come with me and you can get revenge."

It took Keira only a few seconds to deliberate Sarah's offer. Having made up her mind she toddled over to Sarah and cackled, "Find Winnie, make him pay."

"Good," Sarah mumbled half-heartedly. She had gotten what she had wanted, but the victory was still harrowing considering how she had to achieve her goal

"Ant, let's go." Sarah called up to the rooftop where Ant had materialized on. The goblin was down in a split second. "Can you take us all somewhere?" She asked.

"Ant do no more favours for stupid girl." The goblin replied.

"But..."

"No." Ant replied. "Besides, Ant only take one at time. You leave goblin kids alone?"

"Fine," Sarah shrugged. "Come Keira. Winston is this way."

Their voyage would be a long one and Sarah hoped she could hold them together. Along with Ant's bad attitude, having to marshal two prisoners and a vengeance-seeking toddler Sarah almost wished she were confronting the Goblin King again. At least he was consistent. These four were nothing short of an emotional drain.

Sarah led them out of the City of Goblin Men the way she had exited it previously. Abruptly one of the prisoners ceased moving. Sarah had to carry him for a while, before finally deciding she could not continue that way. Still the boy did not move. So she dragged him along until he found his bottom too sore to continue the journey that way. Meanwhile, Ant complained and berated her the entire way. As for Keira, the girl would find something to hurl at the other children and they, unable to fight back with their hands tied, would attempt to trip her with their binding.

Despite constantly having to pull them off each other, Sarah did not allow them to rest once. She felt the clock was against her. The Goblin King would find them soon. Why he had not appeared already, she could hardly comprehend.

But then she saw it. It had taken nearly twice as long to get there, but she could see it just on the horizon – the pool that goblins feared to cross. It was an oasis that the faeries had said would make goblin men lose their immortality. Sarah hoped it would cure the children of their goblin minds.

"This way," she encouraged Keira and the others.

Keira cocked her head to the side. "Winnie?"

"It's a magic pool; you need to go in the water to get to him." Sarah promised. "C'mon!" She beckoned for the others who were shivering in the cold dessert. "It's warm."

Even the stubborn children were willing to admit that the temptation of warmth was enough to make them obedient. Above all, goblins are concerned with their current happiness. If any circumstance is discomforting, they flee it and find something that brings immediate pleasure.

It was not to be though. As Sarah led the charge towards the pool, she saw _them_ descend. Or rather, ascend. From the center of the pool, rose a host of faerie warriors.

"Oh no!" Sarah screamed. Even the goblin children, having never sighted faeries, understood their instinctive rivalry. They hid behind Sarah's larger form, using her as a shield.

"I thought I heard faerie wings." Sarah muttered.

Nerissa was the last of the faeries to appear. She transformed into her human-sized form at the center of her faeries. "I would ask you how you escaped my previous trap but I really don't care since you are not going to escape this time. You should, however, know that we thought you were dead. If it were not for the emptying of City of Goblin Men, we would never have known you were still alive. Pity you did not remain hidden, eh?"

Sarah's mind raced. She had been so close to accomplishing her goal! But it was too late. She knew she would not get out of this alive, but there was still hope for the children. "You want to ruin Jareth's plans, right? Let me send the children home after washing them in the pool. It will make them human again. Then Ant can send them home and Jareth will _not_ be pleased."

Nerissa opened her mouth to deny Sarah's request, but then the deviousness of it wormed its way into her mind. "Or," Nerissa suggested as she moved towards Sarah, "I could send the children home myself and do this." As she finished the sentence, Nerissa extended her arm, as she had done to the Goblin King. A twisted blade appeared in her hand.

"Uhh," Nerissa moaned as the sword, which should have pierced Sarah, deflected, and thrust itself backward. Its handle stabbed into Nerissa's hip, giving the Faerie Queen an unsightly limp.

Sarah was as surprised as the faerie leader. The moment the blade had appeared Sarah had been encased in an orb not unlike one of Jareth's magic crystals. Believing that another magical monarch had come to ruin her plan, Sarah let out a deep sigh. "Now what?"

But the king did not appear.

"My, my," Nerissa gritted her teeth as she tapped on the orb. "He certainly is protective. I wonder how much of his power he diverted to create this little enchantment. A fair amount by my detection; enough to keep me from harming you it seems."

"And I wonder why he would have thought that was necessary." Sarah mocked.

Nerissa shrugged. "Well, never mind that. I hope you realise that I have nothing against you personally. But, quite honestly, you are the greatest way for me to injure Jareth."

"Leave me out of your feud."

"Silence!" Nerissa roared. "We have little time to chat as he is likely on his way. Since I cannot kill you I will offer you this: there is a way for you to be free of him."

Sarah's eyes opened wide with hope. She had given up considering such an option might be available. However, it was not long before she remembered whom this information was coming from and why Nerissa might want Sarah free. "You are only telling me this so you can kill me," Sarah remarked.

"Perhaps," Nerissa shrugged. "Or maybe I will just be satisfied that he does not have control over you anymore. There's only one way to find out."

"You tried to kill me – three times. Why should I listen to you?"

Nerissa ignored the accusation and continued with her message. "One who has the rights to you may wish you back. And no, you will not find that bit of magic written down. There is always a way to be free of magic, but Jareth will never have released that secret, nor..." she paused as though offering some unspoken secret, "...written it in his library."

Sarah frowned as she considered Nerissa's words. She wanted to ask questions but an instinct told her that now was not the time. Stepping back from the Faerie Queen, she found her protective enchantment faded. Sarah snatched Keira up and grabbed the sheet that tied the boys. She pulled them close to her and then stepped forward.

Though Ant was unusually brave for a goblin, the sight of so many ferocious faeries had made him both a coward and a mute. He clung to Sarah's side, anxious to be a part of Jareth's protective enchantment. As Sarah neared the faeries here shield reappeared around those whom also were under Jareth's power. She barreled through the faeries, shoving aside those who did not move in time.

She dropped Keira in the water and then pulled the boys in. "No!" One of them screamed. But Sarah refused to hear their complaints. She kicked the water up, drenching them from head to toe. Though their appearance did not alter, the children had clearly returned to their former selves. Sarah assumed it was their posture. Rather than hold a menacing, trouble making stance they held their arms tightly to their chests like frightened – human – children.

Or, at least, two of the children changed back to humans. The third, the one Sarah could not remember, turned into a goblin. The goblin also wept though. "My immortality," it cried. "You stole it."

"That little cheat," Sarah muttered. "He wanted me to send a goblin back with the children!"

"Of course he did," Nerissa chided. "He wants to be remembered."

The villain's voice reminded her that she had little time left. "Do as you promised Ant. Take the children back."

Given the choice of fleeing from the faeries, Ant needed little encouragement. He took Kiera first and then the other boy. But Ant did not return.

Sarah breathed a sigh of relief as the second child disappeared. Despite being surrounded by enemies who were only abated by an enchantment from a king she had done everything to make hate her, Sarah felt victorious.

"You know the only reason the children escaped is because I let them." Nerissa added.

Sarah rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeah." Somehow, Nerissa's actions and words were so very petty. "I'll be sure to tell Jareth that you send your love."

"No need," a velvety voice echoed from behind her.


	19. Saved?

**The usual disclaimer... I don't own the characters, places, or words. I just arranged them.**

* * *

Sarah braced herself for she knew that trouble had come. She turned slowly, hesitant to face him.

He was not far behind her, standing on the water as though it were perfectly natural to do so. Luckily, his eyes did not descend to meet her and she was spared his glaring fury.

Nerissa, the object of his hatred, greeted him saying, "Hello brother."

Sarah spun around and exclaimed, "Brother!? You tried to kill him!" Suddenly it made sense why Jareth stole children. To have shared a house with the murderous Nerissa would, no doubt, have convinced the infant Jareth that it was better to be stolen away than to remain in a house where a sibling hated you to the point of wishing your end.

"Father is not pleased with you." Jareth informed his sister. "You know the law about attempting to overthrow another kingdom."

"I thought I was doing Father a favour." Nerissa chided.

"Father?" Sarah asked.

Jareth stepped around her so that he stood face to face with Nerissa.

Her hands tightened on the twisted blade she had already used to injure him. She felt its hunger for goblin blood and could not resist satiating it. With a flick of her wrist, she sent the blade flying.

Sarah dove away, thinking the Faerie Queen was attempting to murder her a fourth time. She was drenched in warm fluid, which she believed to be her own blood. But no, it was just the pool's water.

A squeal of agony told her that the same could not be said of another. The goblin, whom Jareth had changed into a child, wheezed its final breaths. Nerissa's sword protruded from its chest.

"No!" Sarah cried out. Though she did not particularly care for goblins, she did not wish to see the creatures dead. Her eyes stared accusingly at the Faerie Queen, but if she had hoped to find some remorse, she was badly mistaken. Nerissa's chest rose and fell in heavy breaths as though drunk on her own power and her eyes seemed to glow red with the blood of the slain goblin.

A song echoed in Sarah's mind. _Your eyes can be so cruel. Just as I can be so cruel... _Worse was yet to come.

"You shed my blood in exchange for _my_ Sarah's killing of your faerie. Now you have killed one of my goblins. Did you think I could overlook that?"

"I will have your death Goblin King!" Nerissa roared as she thrust her hands forward. As before, the sword appeared again.

But Nerissa was not the only one with that ability. Jareth's own blade countered her strike.

"Though you do not deserve the warning, I cannot help but inform you of your inevitable failure." Jareth mocked in a cool tone. "Father has given me permission to dole out whatever punishment I see fit. There is but one rule we must keep and you broke it. There is no victory for you."

"Your death will be victory enough." Nerissa snapped. Her hands imitated the assault of her words. Three quick strikes had forced the king back and placed Nerissa between Sarah and Jareth.

Sarah leapt to her feet searching for a way to aid the Goblin King. She loathed Jareth but at least he did not want to flay her. Nerissa continued her forward assault, pushing the Goblin King further and further back.

With a powerful overhead stroke, she shoved him down so that he lost his footing on the water and sunk into it a few inches. Sarah ran towards them with a hope of grabbing Nerissa's legs, but she moved with the lethargy of one having to tread through water.

Jareth saw her attempt though. His malicious smile crept onto his face and he clucked his tongue, "Tsk, tsk, tsk Sarah. I'm touched, but this is not your place, you precious thing."

He flicked his wrist and she was out of the pool and back in the castle.

"No!" She screamed in defiance. "It's not fair!"

Her life depended on the fight that was happening between the Faerie Queen and the Goblin King. How could he just flick his wrist and send her away like a common slave? It just wasn't fair.

Her eyes focused on the table in front of her. She was back in her chambers that the Goblin King had so carefully crafted to imitate her fantasy. Atop the table was the food that Sarah had requested Ant to fetch. Remembering her minion gave Sarah an idea. She called his name and he appeared.

"Take me to him." She instructed.

"No." Ant shook his head.

"Goblin King not like that."

"But you have to do what I say." Sarah stamped her foot. "That was Jareth's and my deal."

"You already get Ant in trouble when king return."

"Just do it."

Ant shook his head. "You not make me."

"But maybe I can help him!" Sarah insisted.

Ant flashed Sarah the most incredulous look. "King not need help from stupid girl. You wait like all others in throne room. King always come back to throne room first. Come."

Though it was hardly the answer Sarah wanted, she let Ant lead her out of the room. She was halfway to the throne room when she had a thought. Like all fretting humans, Sarah had found herself quite incapable of replaying the words of her last exchange with the Faerie Queen. Nerissa, like all magical beings, had hinted rather than explained how Sarah could be free.

The first part of Nerissa's message was clear: One who has the rights to you may wish you back. A child could only be wished away by family. That is why Winston could not wish her away but could send his sister to the Underground.

But that was not all of Nerissa's message. There was something about magic not being written down and Jareth's Library. Then Sarah understood.

Promising to follow as soon as she could, Sarah turned back down the hall to find another room. She had to do something before the Goblin King came back – it might be her only chance.

She scanned the rows and rows of books the Goblin King had carefully constructed. She needed a certain title, one that was not her own. Grabbing the book from the shelf, she made a little addition – her only hope.

Replacing the book back on the shelf, Sarah mustered her courage. Then she found her way to the throne room.

It was filled with goblins and though they stared at first, they soon became acclimated to her presence. Rumours had spread that she was to be queen and so they shrugged her off.

Sarah, however, found it hard to be among them. They were never quiet and caused quite a ruckus. But she wanted to know what was going on with the king and faeries so she decided to wait. She paced back and forth, not knowing where to sit or stand. As time wore on she grew more nervous and her pacing became more frantic.

When the wait grew to more than an hour, Sarah's legs began to tire. There was but one seat left and she barely considered the foolishness of sitting on it. Eventually her legs ached too much and her mind was too weary from worry that she just wanted to rest for a minute.

Sarah perched herself on the throne. The goblins took turns gaping at her boldness, but if she was to be queen then it seemed reasonable that she could sit where the king sat. They did find her pose quite unusual though for Sarah sat on the throne like it was a chair not a recliner.

Her eye started to flutter with sleep. They closed for a second and then snapped open. Her heavy lids drifted again, remaining shut again for a minute or two. Finally, she began to drift and then a heavy weight landed on her lap.

Sarah's eyes flew open. The goblin king, covered in slices and cuts, reclined on her lap the way he normally reclined on his throne. His eyes were shut but his mouth opened to say, "Ah thank you precious, the throne is much more comfortable this way."

Sarah squirmed trying to push him off, but the task was herculean in nature.

"You could thank me." He instructed. "I saved your life."

"And Nerissa?" Sarah asked.

"She won't bother you anymore. I promised to protect you."

"She was your sister."

"No matter, I have several hundred others." Jareth shrugged.

"What?"

"There's the Nymph Queen, the Sprite Queen, the Dryad Queen, and hundreds others that you haven't even heard of..." His voice drifted as though he had fallen asleep. But then one of his patent mood shifts happened and his eyes flashed open. At once, he was off her lap and standing before her. She, following him, leapt off his seat to avoid a repeat of the situation.

"You stole my children." Jareth stated.

"Life's not fair." Sarah challenged. She straightened so that, standing a step above him, she could meet him eye to eye. The goblins grew silent as their king and Sarah exchanged glares. Both were haggard figures: Jareth wounded from Nerissa's fierce assault and Sarah still bearing the marks of faerie teeth. Yet neither had lost their pride or stubbornness. "And..." Sarah continued. "You have no power over me."

At the sound of her words, the world did not shatter. Jareth was not defeated. She was not free.

They were not the key to her freedom and she knew it. There was only one way she could be free.

Nevertheless, her lips turned up as the words slipped from her mouth. To her, they were a reminder that she had beaten him once and she would do it again.

But she was not the only one to whom the words brought joy. The Goblin King allowed a cruel smile to light his face. She was his and not even her words could save her.

Allowing as much spite as she could possibly manage to filter into her tone, Sarah addressed her captor. "So Goblin King, what next?"

* * *

Winston pored over the _Labyrinth_ book by the light of his desk lamp late into the night, as he did every night. Beside him were pages of notes, diagrams, and scribbles he had made in his attempt to find a way to free Sarah. But nothing, absolutely nothing seemed relevant. What did it matter if Jareth believed sheep were the most bizarre of all living creatures? Or that the goblins considered a kick from the king to bring eight years of good luck?

He flipped to chapter thirteen. If there was anywhere he expected to find answers it was there. At least it had somewhat useful information.

Winston blinked.

The page was different.

There was a new paragraph, written in a different typeface. He was certain it had never existed before.

_Winston,_ it read, _I hope you found Keira. She should be back. As for me, the only way I can be free is if Toby wishes me back. My father would never believe in the Labyrinth, but Toby might. Please do me this last favor, when he is old enough, tell him. -Sarah_

Winston dropped the book, barely able to finish the paragraph after reading that Sarah expected Keira to have been returned. But where would she be?

Winston did not even bother to put his shoes on before racing out the front door. He was almost down his driveway before he heard her whimpering. Winston followed Keira's voice into Sarah's backyard where Ant had unceremoniously dropped both children.

"Winnie?" Keira whimpered as she spotted him.

"Yes!" He cried out as he reached her. He grabbed her in his arms and spinning her around until she giggled with delight. "Winnie is here." He kissed her cheek.

"We go home?" She asked.

"Yes," Winston agreed. His attention turned to Claude's brother who had paused his own weeping to stare at the brother and sister reunion. "You should come too Darren. We'll make sure you get home."

* * *

That night, Winston crawled into his bed with his cheeks tight from the delighted expression that had not left his face. His parents and police had asked questions about the childrens' return but neither had remembered much. Overall, the joy of having Keira returned made the questions seem irrelevant. In fact, Winston had forgotten the whole Labyrinth ordeal and the cost during his excitement. But his eyes were drawn to the red covered book that lay on his desk.

Winston automatically climbed out of bed to retrieve it. It felt wrong not having the book in his hand. He had grown rather fond of it of the past few days.

Then he remembered how he had hastily skimmed through Sarah's words. He opened the book and found the thirteenth chapter.

_As for me, the only way I can be free is if Toby wishes me back._

Winston looked out the window to Sarah's house. Toby was an infant. It would be years before he could speak coherently and even longer before he could be taught about the Labyrinth.

It would be years before Sarah returned...

* * *

**For those of you who requested a sequel, it's on its way. Look for Episode Two, entitled **_**The Taming**_** to find out how Jareth plans to make Sarah his queen.**


End file.
